


Danganronpa: Immersive Learning Program

by That1guyeveryonehates



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Explicit Language, Gen, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Schizophrenia, Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24914833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That1guyeveryonehates/pseuds/That1guyeveryonehates
Summary: Kaede Akamatsu wakes up on an island with 15 other students from Hope's Peak Academy, learning that she's been sent there for an Immersive Learning Program. But the off-putting headmaster, Monokuma, changes course and steers the 16 captive students into a Killing Game. Can Kaede trust these strangers to help solve the mysteries of Jabberwock Island and escape with their lives?A Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair rewrite with a scrambled cast across the 48 killing game participants.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue

Huh?

Where am I?

What's going on?

It was dark. I don't remember much of anything. My last memory is this darkness. I feel like I've been dragged down a bottomless pit. Am I falling? No… I don't think so. I should try... Try to remember. Remember… who I am… who am I?

Suddenly, it came back to me, like a flash of light.

Kaede… Kaede Akamatsu. That's me. That's my name. Is that… all I can remember?

I tried to remember more, like I did before. I'm… I'm a student… at Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak? You mean, like that school for ultimate students? Talented students, mostly from right here in Japan, but some even come from all over the place! All you need is to be a high school student, especially gifted at something, and to be scouted and invited by a staff member at the academy. But if I'm a student, does that mean...

Oh yeah, that's right! I'm Kaede Akamatsu: the Ultimate Pianist! How could I have forgotten something so important? Well, maybe I can figure that out later. Right now, let's try and move… where am I again? It's still so dark. Can I open my eyes?

…

…

Ah!

I opened my eyes, it took a lot more force than I remembered it did. But then again, that was probably just me trying to remember how to open my eyes again. But now that I did it, I guess it's time to look around.

"Huh?"

I let my gasp leave my lips, I was not at anything that even looked like an academy. Not that I even remembered what Hope's Peak academy looked like. Still, this definitely isn't anything like I would have imagined it to be.

I looked around, and realized I was sitting on sand. Sand? Then again… there's an ocean, and those are palm trees. That must mean… I'm on a beach?

The waves were calm and soothing, creating their own peaceful melody as they lapped up the sand from the beach. Keeping the tempo, like the beach's very own metronome. It made me long to stroke the ivory keys of a grand, I'm sure I would remember how to play if I could find one.

"Oh, you're finally awake?"

I heard a voice behind me, it sounded masculine, but just slightly prepubescent. I turned around, slowly regaining control over the machinations of my body, and saw him standing there. He had a very kind face, but he looked like any normal guy, like someone you would find in the background of an action movie for a split-second until he was out of sight. He wore a dark jacket over a forest green hoodie. His brown hair was messy, but also very stylized, like he wanted it that way. He extended a hand to me,

"Here, let me help you up!"

I grabbed his hand, he was just as weak as his frame seemed to suggest, I ended up having to support myself more than he did. But it was the thought that counted, and I made sure not to let him catch on to that.

"Thank you."

"Sure, no problem!"

I dusted off the sand from my plaid skirt, straightening out my pink sweater vest, and tidying up my hair afterwards. The boy kept looking at me, seemingly forgetting the concept of communication in general. I looked at him, and his face reacted nervously, as though he were catching himself.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student!"

He gave me a short bow, rubbing the back of his head. I smiled back, there was something cute in his nervous attitude.

"I'm Kaede Akamatsu: Ultimate Pianist!"

I returned the bow, and Makoto seemed to be put at ease. Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student. I think I remember reading somewhere that that title was reserved for random high schoolers who won a lottery to attend Hope's Peak… which would mean,

"Hey, so you're a student at Hope's Peak Academy too Makoto?"

Makoto raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Oh, yeah… wait, you too?"

I nodded, and he gave another nervous laugh.

"I mean, well, obviously! You're an ultimate! My bad…"

I smiled reassuringly, "No worries! But…" I looked around, prompting Makoto to follow my lead, "Where are we? What are two students from Hope's Peak doing in a place like this?"

Makoto shrugged, "Hope's Peak is in Tokyo… we couldn't be on the beach without seeing the city… so where are we?"

I scanned the horizon, across the sparkling blue appeared several other islands, but they seemed too far away to swim. Maybe if I was the Ultimate Swimmer… but neither of them looks like a mainland, so it doesn't really matter. Looking over the island Makoto and I were on, I could catch the glimpse of several buildings, just beyond the wall of palm trees. Makoto must've seen it too as he said,

"Hey, looks like there's something over there! Should we check it out?"

I nodded, "Yeah, the more we walk around, the more we'll learn about our situation."

He nodded in affirmation, and we paced down the coastline, making sure we didn't go too far into the thicket of trees for fear of getting utterly lost.

We approached what appeared to be a small ranch. There was a cute little barn at the edge of a pen, in it appeared to be a couple lonely cows. It wasn't so much the cows that got my attention however.

I hadn't seen them before, but now that I was closer, there was no doubt about it. There were two very stoic looking teenagers standing around the pen. The closest one appeared to be female… well, they both appeared effeminate. But the closest one I could easily tell was female. She had short black hair, nicely cupping her pale, freckled face. Icy blue eyes seemed to be observing the other figure, as though she were intentionally keeping her distance so that she could analyze them. She must have seen me through her peripheries, because she instinctively turned to face Makoto and I.

I could feel the tension in the air, exasperated by my instant fear of her. Her eyes were fortresses, not bothering to let me catch her inner thoughts, but I had no doubt she was analyzing mine. She looked like the kind of girl who could smell fear.

"You two… are you also from Hope's Peak?"

She said it with such conviction. Like she had no problem interrogating total strangers. I nodded, Makoto did too, I could tell he barely had the courage to say anything. I didn't blame him.

"I'm Kaede Akamatsu: Ultimate Pianist… this is-"

"I-I'm Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student!"

His bow towards this new girl was much more frantic than when he'd bowed for me. Hell, I nearly felt compelled to follow suit. But somehow, I prevented myself. The girl gave an assenting grunt.

"I figured as much. He's one too. So are a couple other people I found on this island." She'd pointed to the other figure nearby the pen, I glanced over at him, and he just stared straight back at me. So he was a he. His hair was so long… but then again, he's wearing a mask, so I couldn't really tell.

"I'm Mukuro, by the way."

My attention was brought back to the girl in front of me. Her face remained emotionless.

"Mukuro Ikusaba: Ultimate Soldier."

That would explain her intense presence.

"Nice to meet you, Mukuro." I was able to muster that much before she completely ignored me. I guess she has all she needs from me. Cautiously, I approached the slender man in the mask. He was wearing some kind of uniform, but I couldn't recognize it. It certainly didn't look like a school uniform. Mukuro had at least been wearing that. He looked more like the ultimate soldier than she did, with his tags, zippers, his hat. Maybe he was too. Only one way to find out.

"Hm?"

He hadn't kept his sterile amber eyes off me since I'd arrived. Me specifically. I could tell from the corner of my eye, he hadn't even bothered looking at Makoto. Only me. That was definitely unsettling. His arms were wrapped in bandages, and one such arm has snaked its way up to propping his cheek.

"... So you've come to visit me. How quaint."

His voice was silky, yet coarse, like one would expect a snake to sound if they could vocalize. There was something in his gaze, it almost seemed… familiar.

"H-Hi, I'm M-Makoto Na-"

"I'm Korekiyo Shinguji: Ultimate Anthropologist."

He'd completely ignored Makoto, continuing to stare directly at me. It was unsettling, to say the least. Nevertheless, I knew I had to introduce myself as well,

"Kaede Akamatsu: Ultimate Pianist."

Korekiyo sighed, "The piano… such a beautiful instrument. It has followed mankind for generations, evolving right alongside us, capturing our beauty with the flow of its melody."

That was surprisingly poetic for an unsettling man. It almost put me at ease, my body seemed to react positively at the thought of pianos. I appreciated it.

Makoto was finally able to introduce himself, and Korekiyo finally relinquished his gaze on me. Mukuro had mentioned there were other students in this place, I just hope they're not all so… disconcerting.

"They were certainly strange…"

I nodded in agreement with Makoto's statement. But we continued anyway. We approached what looked like a gas station. There was someone else standing by the pumps, much more obviously a man. His large trench coat draped over baggy pants and a white tank top that left very little to the imagination. His ripped physique was very well accentuated, I felt a sort of flutter in my chest. His gaze was intense, but not like Korekiyo's was. For one, I could see his whole face, sturdy chin, purple eyes brought out by the eyeliner jutting out of them. While his mullet was straight and black, the top of his head was stylized with a grand flourish: curled into an exaggerated pompadour that was dyed a bright brown.

When his eyes met mine, it was a much different sensation than Korekiyo, and I was both thrilled and terrified. Crossing his arms, he motioned upwards with his head, beckoning the two of us into a conversation,

"You guys don't happen to know what the fucks going on, do ya?"

I shook my head, "No, we came to ask you that."

The burly young man cast his gaze aside, rubbing the back of his head, "Figures. What the hell is goin' on here…"

Chancing an opportunity, I suddenly felt compelled by something inside me to introduce myself,

"I'm Kaede, by the way!"

He looked back at me, kind of shocked. Maybe I'd said it too eagerly? Either way, he didn't seem to mind. He was quick to respond, curtly.

"Mondo Oowada: Ultimate Biker."

Mondo and I studied each other for what felt like an eternity. Slowly, however, his eyes began drifting to my side, and fixed on Makoto,

"Don't take this wrong, man, but you seem familiar to me…"

Makoto jumped a little, but nodded, "Y-yeah, I was just thinking that… but… that's impossible, right? We just met."

Mondo nodded, "Yeah, that's true. Well, whatever." Mondo shrugged, then glanced over at the pumps, "There's gas in these, but I don't see anything to put it in. I almost feel like there should be a bike here. I hate to admit it, but I feel kinda naked without one."

Kinda… naked?

Huh? Why would I think about that?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door swinging and a chime ringing. The three of us turned to the market and watched as a scruffy looking guy came waltzing out, carrying bags of potato chips in his arms. Like Mondo, his head of hair was massive, but it was nowhere near as stylized. His muddy brown dreads were spread out like a backdrop. He wore a green coat over an unbuttoned white shirt, that revealed yet another shirt, this time bright orange. Every ounce of his aura told me he was a bum. But that couldn't be right… right?

"Oh hey, new people, huh? You guys want some snacks? That store's loaded! And best part, you can just take whatever you want!"

He strolled casually up to us, not a care in the world.

"Sup, name's Yasuhiro Hagakure: Ultimate Clairvoyant. You can call me Hiro, though."

Clairvoyant? That seems pretty sketchy…

Hiro waved a bag of chips in front of Mondo. The biker acknowledged it with a flourish of his hand, sending the snack with a smack to the ground.

"Get that nasty shit outta my face!"

"Hey, watch the merch, bro!"

"I'm not your fuckin' bro, bum!"

Makoto and I slowly backed up so as to avoid getting caught in the cross-hairs of the impending fight. Scanning the premises once more, I looked over at Makoto,

"Wanna check out the airport?"

"Yeah, maybe we can find someone who knows how to fly?"

"There has to be a way out through there, right?"

Makoto nodded, his resolve wasn;t quite as firm as he may have thought it was, and his squeaky voice was shaky,

"We can hope."

I crossed the threshold into the hangar with my head held high, hoping that there would indeed be a way out. Upon entering the area, I immediately noticed two young men talking excitedly to each other. The more energetic of the two carried himself with great bravado, a purple jacket draped over one shoulder, with his other arm in its sleeve. His spiky hair and goatee were also a plum hue, and he gave off a very commanding aura.

This actually seemed to encourage rather than smother the energy of the other man, whose braided pink locks were topped with a black beanie. He was zipped up in a lime jumpsuit, and exuded a much weaker presence than the taller, purple man, but still seemed very enthused, as though the purple man was giving him energy. As I walked closer, I could hear more clearly what they were so giddy about.

"If I could find that, we'd be golden!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? This island won't get rid of us itself!"

Ah! They were hatching an escape plan!

Both young men turned to me and Makoto. The purple man's smile waved over me like a gravitational pull. There was some sort of raw, charismatic energy exuding from him that just made me feel… safe. Looking into his galactic eyes, I felt a similar sting of familiarity I had with Korekiyo, only this time I was much more drawn to it.

"Hey there! Name's Kaito Mamota: Ultimate Astronaut! You guys are trapped here too, huh? Seems everyone we've met here are students at Hope's Peak, that true for you?"

Makoto and I nodded, "I'm Kaede Akamatsu: Ultimate Pianist!"

"And I'm Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student!"

Kaito grinned wider… there's a lot of really cute guys here, huh?

"Well, Makoto, you really are lucky! Kazuichi and I were just planning out our escape! Shouldn't be too long now, just need to find the jet fuel, ain't that right Kazuichi?"

The pink man scratched the back of his head, "Ah, well, we also need to find the jet too…"

You mean, there isn't even a plane here? How were they planning to escape?

"Well, I believe in you! You're the ultimate mechanic, after all!"

The pink man turned to address me next, "Uh, I'm Kazuichi Souda, by the way. Nice to meetcha."

Kazuichi Souda: Ultimate Mechanic.

Kazuichi shrugged up his shoulders, placing his hands on the nape of his neck, inhaling a sharp breath of confidence.

"Don't worry, you guys, I'm gonna get us off this island before anything major happens! You can count on me, alright?"

He didn't have Kaito's swagger, but he was vibing off his energy. The astronaut clapped the mechanic's back,

"Alright, Kazuichi, that's what I'm talking about!"

He turned to me,

"Say, why don't you two go over and check on the guys in the hotel! Ask 'em if they've seen anything useful! Let them know Kaito Mamota: Luminary of the Stars sent ya, that should inspire them!"

Kaito turned around and sauntered to a backroom, pulling Kazuichi in with him.

Well, he certainly is a positive guy. I'm glad he's here with us.

Turning to Makoto, I shrugged and the two of us walked over to the hotel, which was a lot closer than we'd anticipated it would be.

As I stepped inside, I was quick to see the diesel of a man standing close to the reception desk. He wore a black jacket and jeans. Jet black hair spiked up and a chain wrapped around his shoulders. Turning around revealed his insanely jacked body nearly bulging out of his white tank top. He had a goatee similar to that of Kaito's, but he looked way more intimidating.

His sudden adjustment of his body revealed he was talking to a cute, redhead girl nearly a third of his body mass. She had pale skin and freckles, wore a short sleeve white button up with a cute olive dress over it. An vintage looking camera was slung over her shoulder. When the man turned to face me, she did too. They appeared to have been in mid conversation.

"Oh, uhm, sorry to bother you, Kaito sent us in here to look for you guys!"

The redhead's neutral gaze shifted into a cute smile, the man too emanated a warm glow, despite not really shifting expressions as much.

"Oh, Kaito? He was here just a while ago, wasn't he Nekomaru?"

"Damn right, I remember that guy, love his spirit!"

The burly man, called Nekomaru, and the girl with blood red hair stepped forward, making themselves more welcoming. It was reassuring that Kaito wasn't the only friendly one after all.

"You're ultimates too, right? From your hairpins, I'm guessing you're into music, right?"

That's right! I did have those in. I nodded,

"I'm Kaede Akamatsu, ultimate pianist!"

"I'm Makoto Naegi, I'm just the lucky one!"

The redhead giggled,

"It's my luck to meet you both! I'm Mahiru Koizumi: Ultimate Photographer!"

She shook both of our hands, a firm grip, probably from holding that camera all the time. A much larger hand fell upon Makoto's shoulder, startling him greatly and me a little as well.

"Makoto, you gotta work more on your introduction! Be more confident, man!"

Mahiru waggled a disapproving finger at him, "Nekomaru, calm down! Leave the poor boy alone and properly introduce yourself!"

The burly man took his hand off Makoto's shoulder, but kept his uncomfortable proximity, declaring in a voice way too loud not to irritate our eardrums,

"NEKOMARU NIDAI: ULTIMATE TEAM MANAGER!"

Well, that certainly explains a lot.

"Nekomaru, inside voice!"

That wasn't particularly quiet either!

"Sorry! I just get excited when I need to take a shit!"

Mahiru turned nearly as red as her hair,

"That's disgusting!"

"IT'S TRUE!"

Nekomaru's beefy hands flew up in exasperation, flailing as though that helped his case. He didn't stick around much longer, galloping off to what I assumed was the restroom.

What a charming character.

Mahiru let out a defeated sigh,

"I apologize, you know how boys can be so immature."

"H-hey!"

The photographer ignored Makoto, keeping her focus on me instead. It seemed a lot of people on this island were more interested in me than Makoto. I'd have felt bad, but I wasn't sure I liked the attention myself.

"Well, if Kaito sent you, does that mean he's found a way out? That's what he was after, anyway." She put a hand on her hip, making her look like a scolding mother, "Honestly, though, I think he might've just let his testosterone drive him. I doubt there's a real way off this island."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Mahiru gave me an apologetic look, "I don't mean to sound defeatist, but if we were abducted and all brought here, I bet that person would have thought of every possible plan we might think up. There's no way Kaito's going to just find a way out on day one!" She added with a bit of a smile, "Besides, he may be an astronaut, but he didn't seem like the brightest light in the academy!"

Well, that's probably true.

"So, you haven't seen anything unusual?"

Mahiru turned to answer Makoto, "No, I haven't seen anything, and that's what's so unusual. This place looks like a resort, but the only people here are a handful of teenagers. That's why I think we were abducted. That, and I woke up blacked out on the beach."

Yeah, that sounds right.

"But that's weird…"

"Huh? What is?"

"It's just that," Mahiru scratched her chin thoughtfully, "Well, I thought it was just Kaito, but no, you guys too. You don't feel familiar to me."

Oh, does she mean… like how I felt with Korekiyo and Kaito?

Makoto piped up, "Yeah, that's weird. But I know I've seen Mondo and Hiro somewhere before. Mukuro too, I think?"

Mahiru nodded, understanding what he was saying, "Yeah. I was mentioning that feeling to Nekomaru. We both saw that in each other, plus the mechanic and those other two-"

Other two? Huh, Mahiru looks upset?

"Oh my God, did they leave together? Ugh, that pervert!"

Before I could react, Mahiru stormed over to a flight of stairs, rushing down it. Makoto and I instinctively followed her, keeping her in our sight. She turned down a corridor and burst through a pair of swinging doors. It was a kitchen, but what surprised me was more who was in the kitchen.

"Are you sure you want me to suck out the poison? I've never done anything like that before."

"Oh I've never been more sure of anything in my life, princess!"

"Get away from her you pervert!"

Mahiru grabbed a spatula and began swatting a short, tubby young man adorned in stereotypical chef's attire. He had quite the stylish perm and tanned skin. The boy jumped off of the stool he'd been standing on, where nearby knelt a young, fair-skinned blonde with enchanting gray eyes and a gorgeous, yet simple green dress. The young girl stood up and stood back to avoid getting hit by the aggressive Mahiru, stopping what one could only realize would have been a very cruel and crude trick.

"Ow! The more you-ow-hit me the-ow-more horny I be-ouch-stop it, you'll break the spatula!" Mahiru did not stop her attacks, the tubby little chef cowered in the corner with his hands raised defensively over his head as she continued to lay down the law of the land.

The girl who once was kneeling found herself backing up into Makoto. The poor boy fell over, and the blonde turned apologetically,

"Oh my, forgive me please! I didn't see you there!"

She moved her arm down, but much to my surprise, stopped just in front of her dress. Clasping her hands in a regal and collected manner, closing her eyes, she turned to me with a radiant smile,

"Could you pick him up for me, please?"

Wha-?!

"Now wait a minute, why should I do that?"

She looked back with confusion swirling in her platinum eyes, "I do not understand, I said 'please', yes?"

I fumed, "That's not the point! You knocked him over, you should help him up!"

She pondered this for a second and nodded, "I see, your logic follows…"

She motioned to Makoto, who had already picked himself up. She watched him dust off his pants and beamed with accomplishment,

"Aha! I have helped!"

Well… she's cute, I'll give her that.

She gave him a small bow, "I am Princess Sonia Nevermind of the kingdom of Novoselic! Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

Ultimate Princess? That feels like a stretch…

Wait…

Princess?!

Makoto had the same reaction, except more visceral, nearly sending him flying back down to the floor. He caught himself, and bowed deeply,

"Ah- I'm Makoto Na…"

As he stammered out an introduction that would've severely disappointed Nekomaru, Mahiru yanked the lusty chef by his ear, dragging him over to me. His nose was bloodied, but I suspected it had nothing to do with any physical injury Mahiru may have given him.

"Oh Mahiru, you have such a firm gr-iiiiiiii!"

The photographer had a very neat trick of twisting his ear, a handy trick for perverts. I'd have to learn it from her, especially with this pig on the loose.

"Oh, Teruteru! Careful, Mahiru, he is hurt from poisoned loins!"

Poisoned… loins?

"He's just fine, Sonia, right, Hanamura?"

"Well, actually-" Mahiru twisted harder, causing tears to stream down the chef's cheek, "Yes! I'm all better now! T-thank you for your concern…"

"Oh, thank goodness! I did not know how to suck out the poison, so I am glad that you did Mahiru!"

Mahiru's face went bright red, although likely not from embarrassment. The pudgy boy called Teruteru giggled, earning him another sharp twist. His beady eyes looked up into mine, he smiled weakly,

"Why hello there, you must be new! I'm Teruteru Hanamura: Ultimate Chef!" He gazed up cautiously at Mahiru before continuing, "I am pleased to make your… acquaintance." He added a subtle wink, then preemptively winced, but he must have been subtle enough for Mahiru to ignore it.

"Kaede Akamatsu, ultimate pianist."

Mahiru finally let Teruteru stand. He breathed a sigh of relief, bloody nose disappearing as he regained full height.

"A pleasure, Kaede. Please, tell me, how do you like your steak?"

A spatula flew at Teruteru's head, causing him to fluster,

"Damn it, Mahiru, that was a serious question!"

Mahiru scowled, "I can never tell, perv, maybe cool it more often."

"Uhm, I don't really have a preference… I don't eat steak."

Teruteru gasped, "Ohnononono, you will eat my steak!"

Mahiru glared, but the chef continued,

"I grill it better than anywhere you've ever had it, and that is a Hanamura guarantee! You will be fed only the finest!"

"Uhm, thanks."

Makoto and I made our way out of the kitchen, behind us, Mahiru escorted Sonia out and back to the waiting area. Following the stairs further down, we reached what looked like another lobby of sorts, likely leading out a different exit to the hotel. Like most places we'd visited so far, two new people stood almost waiting for us. Unlike before, there was only a veneer of pleasant conversation floating between the two girls, but neither seemed particularly invested in the other.

"Oh, hello there!"

The first girl ran up to us, quickly abandoning the second one as though she were happy to escape her. Her skin was a porcelain pale, her hair an indigo blue, her outfit suggested she'd walked right off the cover of a J-Pop track, and she carried herself with that cadence. I wasn't necessarily into J-Pop, but I couldn't help but feel I recognized her, only differently from how I'd felt I'd recognized Korekiyo and Kaito.

Makoto's face went beet red as the bubbly girl bounced almost up to our faces. She gave a very cheerful and relaxing smile, it made all my fears and apprehensions melt away. It melted more than that from Makoto.

"S-Sayaka?"

The girl, whom Makoto addressed as Sayaka, opened up her large blue eyes and carefully studied him before exclaiming,

"Makoto? Is that you?"

"Huh? You remember me?"

She giggled, "Of course I do, Makoto! We went to the same middle school for three years!"

Even her laugh sounded like a doll.

"Oh, I'm really not a doll!"

"Wait, how did you-?"

"I'm an esper." She interrupted me with a deadly serious look. I was at a loss for words when she suddenly snapped back to her warm smile, "I'm kidding!"

She stuck out her tongue, further suggesting she was teasing, "I just have really good intuition!"

Intuition, huh?

She met my gaze and extended her hand, "I know him, but I don't know you. I'm Sayaka Maizono: Ultimate Idol!" I shook her hand, "Kaede Akamatsu: ultimate pianist!"

Sayaka looked delighted, "Oh my god, I love the piano!"

Now I was delighted, "Really?"

The pop icon nodded, "I'm probably nowhere near as good as you, obviously, but I took lessons back in middle school, I was sad to drop them, but my schedule just got so busy after I signed my contract!"

I nodded, glad just to hear someone else talk about loving the piano, "I totally get that, maybe if we find a piano somewhere, we could play a duet together?"

Sayaka looked thrilled, "Oh wow, that would be amazing! Absolutely!"

"A pianist, hm? My how wonderful! I do appreciate musicians."

The second girl, just as pale as Sayaka, approached and politely placed herself into the conversation. She had an accent, like Sonia, but they were distinctly different. Still, I assumed she must've been from Europe too, she kinda looked like a vampire. Her night black hair twisted out into two identical drills on either side of her head, the top of which was covered with a dainty white bonnet. She wore a black dress suit with a blood red tie that accentuated her blood red eyes. Her style unnerved me, but her demeanor was at least calm enough to keep me from bursting. She had a polite smile on her face, and held her cute little hand up to her mouth. There were some strange metal rings on her rings, one of which looked more like a claw.

"Pardon me, I am Celestia Ludenburg, but please, call me Celeste. I am the Ultimate Gambler. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Celeste had an unmistakable air of grace and elegance about her, reminding me very much of Sonia. I wondered whether she was royalty as well…

Makoto seemed overwhelmed to have reunited with his middle school friend, from the looks of it, he seemed to have regarded her in a slightly different manner. Sayaka had already taken the liberty to get rather close to him, causing color to rush to his cheeks.

I shook hands with Celeste, and politely left the lobby. Makoto had decided to stay with Sayaka, not that I wanted to separate the two.

When I walked outside, I looked around. There was a pool area, but nobody seemed to be there now. I casually strolled up to the front of the hotel and noticed a cute little park just across the way. Maybe I'll find some more people there.

The park was very quaint, it had a small track you could stroll along, a fountain at the center, and a small playground complete with a sandpit and a seesaw.

It was by the fountain that I found the next two figures. One was a lean, blond man with elegant and cold sky blue eyes shielded by his thin white-rimmed glasses. He wore a very expensive looking suit and a scowl that implied a great disinterest in the world around him. He did not look very friendly to me.

Near him, on the other side of the fountain, was a shorter girl with long brown pigtails. Her muted brown eyes gazed longingly at the young man through her round wire glasses. She had a mole on her chin and did not seem to be wearing clothes nearly as clean as the man she was observing.

Something is clearly very wrong with her…

The scowling young man cast me a very casual glance, almost as though questioning why I'd even bothered to approach him. I was starting to question that myself.

He stared at me for a bit, then looked away. I stared at him for a bit longer, until his gaze met mine again, scowl slightly deepening,

"What?"

Ah, I should probably say something!

"Oh, uh, are you a student at Hope's Peak Academy too?"

He hadn't even turned to me, he'd barely moved anything more than just his cold blue eyes. His arms remained crossed as he grunted in assent,

"It would appear everyone here is."

Yeah, that's what I'd been thinking…

"Uh, my name's Kaede Akamtsu! I'm the ultimate pianist!"

The young man looked at me, expression only slightly softening

"Pianist… well, that's one less useless talent I'm stuck with."

Was that a compliment?

"Byakuya Togami: Ultimate Scion."

Scion, huh? Yeah, he definitely looks exactly like I would imagine him to.

"Is that all?"

Ah?! Y-yeah, I guess it is…

"Yeah, just wanted to find out who all was here!"

Byakuya looked away again, "Logical. Go talk to that creep over there, then I give you permission to leave."

P-permission?

Without another word, I shuffled off to talk to the messy girl behind the fountain, who I assumed overheard every word of my conversation with Byakuya. She recoiled as I approached her, but she seemed compelled to stay. Maybe she thought Byakuya had given her an order.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Toko Fukawa: Ultimate Literary Writer! N-now get out-t of h-here!"

"Huh? But I-"

"You he-heard what B-Byakuya said! Get out of you you dumb skank!"

Did she just call me-!

"Excuse you?!"

But Toko just ignored my offense and went back to drooling over Byakuya. These were two very unpleasant creatures, and I realized I didn't want to be in their presence anymore than they wanted me around.

So I left.

On my walk back to the hotel, I was intercepted by Mondo, who seemed to be walking towards the airport.

"Oh, hi Mondo!"

D-did that come out too loud?!

The biker glanced over at me,

"Oh, uh, hey Kaede… right?"

He remembered my name! Wait, why do I care so much?

"Yep, that's right! Where are you headed?"

Mondo rubbed his neck, "That astronaut guy asked me to help him build a plane."

Build a plane?!

Mondo shrugged, as though reading my mind, "I don't think anything's gonna come outta it, but it doesn't hurt to try, I guess. Not like I'm doin' anything."

Yeah, that's true.

I felt a sudden leap in my chest, and before I could stop it, I blurted out something I'd barely even thought through,

"Hey, I was just going to grab Makoto to go search the beach for more clues, would you like to join us?"

Where did that come from?!

Mondo seemed just as taken aback as I felt. He avoided eye contact, not a great sign,

"Oh, uh, I'm not really sure that's a great idea. I'm not much for puzzles and shit like that."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine."

Damn it Kaede! What's going on?

There was an uncomfortably long pause that neither one of us seemed equipped to deal with. For better or for worse, we didn't have to worry about that. A loud blare sounded from the speakers that were lined round the island. I hadn't paid them much attention before, if this was a resort, I imagined this was used to make event announcements and the like. The sound was disarming and deeply shrill, but it did sound like someone turning on a microphone. Sure enough, a voice replaced the siren.

"Attention, students of Hope's Peak Academy! This is your headmaster speaking! I would like to invite all of you to Jabberwock Park immediately for a mandatory opening ceremony! Please make your way to Jabberwock Park! I look forward to seeing all your bright and smiling faces again!"

That was strange. That voice called himself our headmaster but… he sounded so… shrill. Like nails on a chalkboard. He also sounded a bit… effeminate. But, it's not like I remember our headmaster anyway… maybe this is some sort of summer program?

Mondo seemed equally confused. Somehow that made me even more nervous. Something didn't feel quite… right.

"S-should we go?"

Mondo nodded, "Yeah, that voice didn't sound like we had much of a choice." He kicked the dirt and threw his hands in his pocket, "I don't like this, not at all!"

Yeah, neither do I. But, we should still go. Like Mondo said, we probably don't have a choice.

Mukuro and Korekiyo were the last to join us around the fountain. I stood in between Mondo and Makoto, who in turn had Sayaka mere centimeters from his arm, ready to grab onto it at a moment's notice. Not long after the stragglers had arrived, we heard a very unsettling laugh coming seemingly out of thin air.

"Upupupupupupu!"

On cue, a short, bearlike figure popped out of nowhere. His body was dissected into two distinct shades: a cheerful white and a morbid black. He looked like a yin and yang symbol come to life, and his countenance seemed to emphasize that. On his white side, he looked like a normal stuffed bear, a neutral, even cute expression of a slightly agape mouth. His black side is what unsettled me. A large, sinister, toothy grin sprawled across it, completely asymmetrical. On top of that, his eye matched the sinister glare and was an unsettling blood red, like one of those evil robots from the movies. It was that that made me realize he must've been an animatronic teddy bear.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome students! I am your headmaster: Monokuma! This is the official opening ceremony for Hope's Peak Academy's first ever Immersive Learning Seminar! I welcome you all to this wonderful opportunity that any student in the world would just kill for! Upupupupu!"

He said that word with such emphasis: 'kill'.

Mahiru spoke first, but they were words that all of us were thinking,

"What exactly is this 'Immersive Learning Seminar'? I don't remember signing up for this!"

Mondo assented, "Yeah, I think I would remember signing up for something that sounds like more school, 'cause I like hell I'd do that willingly!"

"Upupupupupupupupupupu! You all don't quite remember a lot of things, but don't you worry, you'll remember everything you need to at all the right times! As for your first question, Mahiru, the answer is quite simple!" Monokuma, who up to that point had been chortling with his white paw over his mouth, suddenly ejected metal claws from it and stared intensely at the sixteen of us, "This is a Killing Game!"

A… killing game?!


	2. Obsessive Compulsive Despair: Daily Life pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede and the gang learn about the Mutual Killing Game, and also some of them bond with each other.

That bear said those words

"This is a **Killing Game**!"

And chills shot up and down my spine. What did he mean? What was he talking about?

It didn't sit well with any of the others.

"What the fuck?!" Spat Mondo.

"Y-you can't be serious?!" Stammered Mahiru.

"Haha! Nice one man!" Laughed Hiro.

I turned to the clairvoyant, as did several others. He had more crumbs on his chin than hair and a goofy smile that indicated he was taking roughly 0.00% of what Monokuma was saying seriously. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh with him or punch him. Mondo wasn't quite so indecisive,

"You thick-skulled bastard, I'll punch your goddamn lights out if you don't quit laughing!"

Hiro listened to the biker with a nervous gulp, then Mondo quickly snapped back to Monokuma,

"You, teddy bear, give me one good reason not to pound your stuffing out either!"

"Upupupupupupupu! Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited! And I am not a teddy bear. I am Monokuma!"

Mondo sneered, "Try me, teddy!"

Mahiru piped up, "Mondo, don't do anything irrational!"

Kaito interjected, "There's nothing irrational about this, Mahiru! C'mon man, I'll hold him down, and you punch him!"

The photographer couldn't mutter anything other than a defeated "Ugh, testosterone…" before Kaito and Mondo had already lunged up on stage, the astronaut pinning Monokuma down as the biker wound up his fist. Monokuma flailed,

"Ahhhhhh! Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited!" Then the bear cut off and began to emit a steady beeping noise that gradually increased in tempo, almost like-

"A bomb!"

The shout came from Mukuro, apt since she was the ultimate soldier. Mondo and Kaito glanced over at her, confused but understood, letting their instincts kick in. They both leaped off the stage right as the teddy bear self destructed, it would have been cool if this were an action movie. But it wasn't. Kaito and Mondo were seconds away from _death_.

The manly men, crouching on the ground, turned to see where they'd stood mere moments ago had been reduced to ash. Fear, confusion, peril swam rapidly in their purple eyes.

"What the-"

"That damn teddy… did he just-?!"

"I am not a teddy bear! I! Am! Monokuma!"

Said Monokuma materialized right in front of the two young men who'd just escaped his explosive clutches. They were both stunned, but then, so were we all. Hadn't that thing just-

"You punks! I want you to attack each other, not me!" Claws shot out of his paws as he yelled in the faces of the astronaut and biker, "You're so lucky I'm feeling nice today, otherwise I'd rip you hooligans to shreds and make an example of them!" Settling down, the bear emphasized once more, "Violence against the headmaster is _strictly prohibited_ , got it?"

There were clenched fists and jaws, but both Kaito and Mondo nodded in understanding. Monokuma appeared satisfied.

"Very well, anyway, as I was saying- hm? What was I saying? Oh yeah!" He spun around giddly to address the bulk of us more directly, "The Hope's Peak Academy Immersive Learning Program is an intensive and rigorous course that truly tests the limits of what it means to be an ultimate! You will be put through physical hell, mental hell, emotional hell, so much hell, you're gonna wish you were in Hell! Upupupupupupupupu!"

Toko grimaced, "D-damn it!"

Celeste seemed intrigued, "What should we expect from a course like this? What is its intended purpose?"

Monokuma grinned, as though he could do anything else, "The purpose of this course is to whip you with fear, burden you with shame, wreck you with guilt until there is nothing left but an empty shell of who you once were! You will feel nothing, you will have nothing, you will _be_ nothing! Ain't that poetic?"

We all looked at each other with that same uncertain look in our faces. This couldn't be real, Hiro had to be right, this was all a joke!

But I took one look at Monokuma and saw that there was no way it was a joke.

"What do you want from us, man?" Kazuichi seemed to be struggling back tears as he asked. That evil bear answered promptly, like he anticipated the question,

" **Despair** , to put it bluntly!"

 _Despair_?

No.

No way.

No way I would ever let anything like that happen to any of us here. We may be strangers to each other, but that's what everyone had to be thinking too, right?

…

Right?

I looked around, what I saw didn't exactly inspire courage in my optimism. Mukuro, Celeste, Byakuya, and Korekiyo remained relatively unshaken, though Byakuya scowled harder than I'd seen before. Even Hiro seemed to be losing his sense of delight, as though it was becoming more obvious that this definitely wasn't a joke.

"Now, if there are no more questions, I would like to continue with our opening ceremony!"

I was quickly handed a small key with a key chain that read my name "Kaede Akamatsu". What could this possibly be for? Monokuma handed similar keys to the rest of the group. By this point, Mondo and Kaito had retreated to the outskirts of the cluster, I was left alone on one side, Makoto still stood directly next to me, although his resolve was shaken more than usual, Sayaka had slipped her hand into his and I could tell she was clutching it tightly.

"These are the keys to each of your very own personal villas! You can find them on the boardwalk just over yonder! Keep in mind that these keys are the only way into the rooms, they have automatic locks, so make sure you keep it open for anyone you're letting in! Although, I wouldn't do that if I were you, upupupupu!"

I clutched my key like a stress ball.

"Now, you will each receive a personalized e-handbook that will contain very important information including, my favorite, the Rules and Regulations! These nifty creations will be waiting for you at your cabins!"

He said that so giddily, like a child in a candy store. It bothered me.

"Now then, let's have a wonderfully bloody time together!"

That bothered me more.

"Hey, what makes you think that we're even going to kill each other anyway?"

I couldn't hold back my words, they spat out with such conviction it shocked myself. But I'd had enough. I'd barely been awake an hour and I could barely remember things that felt very important, and here was this monster telling me and fifteen total strangers to kill each other? That was sick. It was wrong.

I wasn't alone. My words landed on the ears of Mahiru, Kaito, Nekomaru, Makoto, Mondo, even Tertuteru, Sonia, and Kazuichi. A renewed sense of confidence and resolution permeated the air as we all stood firmly against that damn teddy bear.

"Yeah, you can't just expect us to go around killing each other, even if we are strangers!"

"Killing is _wrong!_ It's _evil!_ "

Monokuma looked from me to Kaito to Mahiru, then I couldn't tell who he was looking at anymore. He was silent, I almost thought he'd malfunctioned, or we'd somehow gotten to him.

Then he started laughing.

"Upupupupu."

He started cackling.

"Upupupupupu! Upupupupupupupu!"

He started howling.

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! That's priceless! You think killing is _wrong?_ That its _evil?_ I think that's just _rich!_ Tell me, my dear students, is your classmate Mukuro Ikusaba evil? Because she's a soldier?"

"That's different!" But Monokuma wanted me to say exactly that.

"Different? How? Why? At the end of the day, the soldier's one and only job is to kill. Kill the bad guys so they don't kill you! That's war, baby! Kill or be killed!"

"But soldiers-"

"Soldiers are just like mercenaries, aren't they? Assassins! They get trained to kill effectively, kill quickly, kill plenty. And once they're all good and trained, they get _paid_ to kill! Doesn't matter why a person signs up: patriotism, revenge, bloodlust. The outcome is the same!"

I wanted to say something. Kaito wanted to say something. I think we all wanted to say _something_. But nothing came out. We couldn't argue with this psychotic thing.

"And besides, you're gonna _wanna_ kill, because that's the only way to complete the Immersive Learning Program!"

Huh?

I see.

Well, that explains it then.

But no, that can't be all, that's not good enough! I can't just stand here and let him say all these things to us!

"It doesn't matter what you want to believe, the truth will still be true. Go ahead and lie to yourself, lie to others, be blissfully ignorant if you must! But understand that when I say you can only leave here if you kill someone else, it's the cold hard truth!"

And that was that.

Even if we wanted to say anything, even if we could say anything, he was gone. The sixteen of us were silent. Tension so thick, the sharpest katana would've been a butter knife against it.

"He's…. He's serious, isn't he?"

I turned to find Hiro quaking, a very different composure he'd had from before.

"Now hold on there! Just cuz that dumb bear says we have to kill each other to leave, doesn't mean that we're gonna!"

Kaito looked determined. I felt his spirit in my gut, I wanted to believe him too. But not everyone shared his sentiment.

"You don't think Monokuma's thought of that already?"

We turned to Byakuya, standing off to the side of the group with his favorite resting expression languidly cast across his face. He didn't like to move his body, did he?

"What are you saying?"

"It's simple deductive reasoning. If Monokuma was able to trap us, sixteen students of one of the world's most prestigious academies, you don't think he would have a plan for everything?"

A plan for everything? That would seem true. We were trapped on an island, and while there were other islands nearby, they were by no means a safe swimming distance for anyone without an Olympic medal. Even so, it was highly doubtful either island contained any more means of escape than this one did.

Doubtful, but not impossible.

"You'll see, Kazuichi and I are already working on a way to get outta here! Flying a plane is just like flying a spaceship, I've trained for situations like this!"

Byakuya didn't even bother to roll his eyes.

"You really are an idiot. How does someone like you get into an astronaut training program?"

Kaito clenched his fist, but held his tongue.

"At any rate, if that's all, I'll be leaving now."

Huh?

Mahiru interjected into Byakuya's departure, "Hold on, just where do you think you're going?"

The scion gave the photographer a sideways glare, "To my room. I'd like to know what the rules of this little _game_ are."

Game. He called it a game, just like Monokuma did.

Not long after Byakuya left with Toko on his tail, Celeste motioned to leave herself, "I too would like to see these rules. They might be able to give us a better insight into what's going on around here."

Her departure took Korekiyo and Mukuro as well. The remaining twelve of us glanced between each other, before silently agreeing to head to our rooms as well. We walked together, but we remained in silent contemplation.

**Prologue: End.**

**Alive: 16. Dead: 0.**

* * *

**Chapter One: Obsessive Compulsive Despair- Daily Life.**

The boardwalk had eight cabins on either side of it, each had a nameplate with our pictures on it marking which belonged to who. I found mine on the right side, at the front of the line. I was right next to Hiro, right across from Toko. I looked around, watching everyone get into their cabins before entering my own.

I would have been thrilled to be staying in this villa, under any other circumstances. It looked like something out of a vacation commercial, I wanted to come here to relax and escape. But only this one time, I had to escape from this place.

I found what looked like the e-handbook on the bedside table.

I guess I better take a look at those rules Monokuma mentioned.

Picking it up, I turned it on. The screen flashed a picture of me and my name and title.

There were a few different tabs: "Report Card", "Settings", "Evidence", I hope I never have to use that one. I found the tab labeled "Class Rules and Regulations" and opened it up.

**Rule #1: Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited.**

**Rule #2: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.**

**Rule #3: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.**

**Rule #4: If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed.**

**Rule #5: As a reward, the surviving blackened will be forgiven of their crime and allowed to leave the island.**

**Rule #6: The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time.**

**Rule #7: Destroying any property of this island without permission is expressly prohibited. This includes the surveillance cameras and monitors.**

**Rule #8: You are free to investigate this island at your own discretion. Your actions in this regard are not limited.**

**Rule #9: Nighttime officially begins at 10 pm, water will be turned off and certain areas will be off-limits until 7 am.**

**Rule #10: You may only sleep in the cabins.**

**Rule # 11: Violating any of these rules will result in swift and decisive punishment.**

**Rule #12: Additional Rules may be added at the headmaster's discretion.**

A pit formed in my stomach. Monokuma was serious after all.

There had to be something missing. Somewhere on this island, someone is controlling Monokuma, if I can get to them, maybe I can stop this before it gets out of hand…

I couldn't stay in my room all day, I needed somewhere to go, someone to talk to, someone to trust.

And then my doorbell rang.

I got up rather quickly and opened it.

It was Makoto.

"Oh!, Hey Makoto!"

"H-hi Kaede! Uhm, Kaito sent me to get you, said he wanted to have an important meeting with everyone at the hotel."

Sayaka was behind him, not seeming to mind the lack of distance between them. She'd certainly latched on pretty quick to Makoto. It kinda made sense, even if it was just in middle school, they were the only two who had a connection. Still, it felt unusual.

I realized I was staring and quickly snapped to attention,

"Okay! I was just looking over the handbook, but I wanted to go back out and explore some more."

Closing my room, I stepped onto the boardwalk, pulling on the straps of my backpack. There wasn't much in it, only my handbook and extra sweater, but still, it was like a part of me, I'd have felt naked without it…

I mean…

You know.

* * *

There weren't a lot of people in the hotel. That by itself was enough to make me angry, I wanted us to cooperate against the mastermind responsible for bringing us here. But some people didn't seem to share my sentiments.

Sonia sat at a small table next to a couple of large house plants. The other chair at the table was occupied by Mahiru. On the other side of the plant directly to Sonia's left was another table and pair of chairs occupied by Kazuichi and Teruteru. Kaito stood dominantly at the center of the room.

And that was it. Only half, 50%, that was a failing grade. I did not appreciate that, and I made sure to vocalize my concern.

"Where is everyone? I thought we were all meeting?"

Kaito rubbed the back of his head, placing the other begrudgingly on his hip,

"I'm sure they'll come around, I'll make them!"

He stuck out his thumb and flashed a triumphant grin, as though that made up for his inability to get them here in the first place. Mahiru chimed up,

"Don't forget, Nekomaru is here, he just…"

"Went to the bathroom?"

Mahiru nodded. I sighed. 56% was still failing.

Nekomaru returned, oblivious to the tension his absence had left, but his return inspired Kaito to begin,

"Alright, first things first: has anyone found anything at all that could lend itself to our escape?"

The photographer scowled, "You mean in the ten minutes since we last spoke? No. Just that those rules seem very… forceful."

Yeah. They were mostly focused on the process of this supposed killing game Monokuma wants us to play. And that looming threat of **punishment**. If what Mondo and Kaito did almost got them killed, I didn't want to know what breaking any of the other rules would look like. They're probably dangerously similar.

"You and Mondo got a small taste of what that bear is capable of, I wouldn't press your luck further."

The astronaut acknowledged the photographer, but he already seemed lost in thought.

"Uhm, I think it's important to note, I'm sure you've all noticed the cameras everywhere, right?"

I looked at Kazuichi. Cameras, huh? Yeah, now that he mentioned it, there seemed to be cameras in every room and section of the island.

"That's probably how Monokuma keeps an eye on us. Kazuichi, think you can do anything about them?"

"What? I'm a mechanic, not a hacker! If anyone here knows about cameras, it'd be Mahiru, r-right?"

"Being a photographer has nothing to do with hacking into a security system! Besides, even if I did know how to do that, wouldn't I need access to the main computer? No way Monokuma would let us anywhere near that place."

That was true, but still…

"That has to mean that there is a control room, somewhere!"

Kaito nodded in agreement with me, "Yeah, maybe we just haven't found it yet!"

Sonia cocked her head thoughtfully, "But, this island is very small. I do not think it possible to hide such an important place so easily on an island of this size."

Teruteru slyly grinned, "Oh, if it's large you want, I'd be happy to deliver, princess!"

I saw Mahiru fume, but Kazuichi beat her to the punch, appearing surprisingly agitated,

"Hey, can it man! That's no way to address a princess!"

The photographer would not be outdone, so I noticed,

"Quiet, both of you! Control your hormones!"

Mahiru really did remind me of a mother, and both boys seemed to think so too, choosing to revert to silence at her chastisement.

"Oh my, am I late? My sincerest apologies."

The nine of us turned to the door and saw Celeste leisurely stroll in, hands placed firmly at her front, one atop the other. She had her small, polite smile playing on her lips, and she at least _seemed_ sincere. But as the ultimate gambler, she was probably a skilled liar.

"Celeste, welcome! No worries, we're glad to have you anyway!"

Celeste turned to smile at Kaito, "My my, you're certainly understanding! I do so ever appreciate it." She brushed ever so slightly by Kaito, and planted herself right between Kazuichi and Sonia, effectively blocking his view of her with her large curls. He was visibly annoyed, but she seemed not to care. "I sent Mondo to collect the others, he'll be very disappointed to know he's late, I'm sure."

Cheerful facade never once waning, Celeste turned her attention towards Sonia, remarking with piqued interest, "Princess, you are from Novoselic, yes?"

The platinum girl perked up at the mention of her home, "Why yes I am! Have you ever been?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't. But my parents are European, my father belonged to the French court, if you can believe it!"

Sonia was delighted, "Oh that is absolutely wonderful! You look so elegant and refined, but now that makes sense! I would just love to have you attend a Novoselic ball, they are splendidly enchanting!"

"I would like that very much, your highness!"

"Did someone say 'ball'?"

"Teruteru, I swear-"

Before Mahiru could swear, however, the door swung open yet again.

Mondo shoved Hiro in before him, causing the clairvoyant to stumble and faceplant. The biker picked him up and forcefully shoved him to the side. Behind him, Korekiyo strode in, boots clicking a steady pace as he settled himself near myself, Makoto and Sayaka.

"Sorry, this shithead needed some extra encouragement!"

Mondo cracked his knuckles and glared at Hiro, causing the man in dreads to shudder.

"C'mon dude, chill out! I was… gonna take a shower!"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the slender anthropologist grimace, but no sign of his lips at all.

"When was the last time you _ever_ showered, miserable pig?"

Hiro recoiled, "Whoa hey, when did you start talking Kiyo? And why ya gotta be so mean?"

Korekiyo ignored him. We all ignored him. Kaito welcomed the stragglers.

"Wonderful! The more the merrier! Unfortunately, we don't have much to really report at the moment-"

Mondo roared, "What the hell you mean? I dragged this worthless bum over for nothing?"

"Hey! I'm not a bum! I'm just… financially unwell at the moment…"

The astronaut beamed, "Nonsense! You coming here reaffirms that we all share a bond, an unbreakable bond that proves we have what it takes to get out of here together!"

"You say that, and yet, not everyone is here."

Kaito turned to Celeste, holding her hand to her mouth, like she was holding her cards close.

"I admire your optimism, Kaito, but we should all be perfectly reasonable with ourselves. We cannot get out without Monokuma's approval. And the only way he'll let us leave is via _murder_."

Murder.

It was simple enough, but still… I hated hearing her say that.

"So are you saying we're actually going to kill one another?"

She smiled at me next.

"Certainly not, I am not a killer. I am a survivor. I intend to _adapt_."

Adapt?

"You don't mean give up, do you?"

"Oh Kaito, you're taking this way too personally. This has nothing to do with giving up. Adapting to our new way of life will permit us to survive and avoid having to turn on one another. It's mutually assured survival. Isn't that what we all want?"

'What we all want?' What I wanted was to get out of here, find my family, find my friends, return to my normal life. Playing piano concerts for crowds of people, making them happy, making them _feel_.

Living here is definitely not what I want.

Before Kaito or I could say anything, that elusive third man in the group of late comers slithered his way back into the conversation,

"It's bold of you to assume, Celeste, that Monokuma doesn't have a way to… _convince_ us to do what he wants."

The gambler turned to the anthropologist, her smile completely undisturbed.

"Then it will truly be a test of our endurance and whether or not our precious morals can remain intact." She added with an uncomfortably pleasant chuckle, "How interesting!"

Korekiyo's eyes beamed, "Kehehe, yes indeed… to see the full, unfettered extent of how far our humanity can extend, I can't think of anything more _beautiful_!"

Nobody said anything after that. We stood in silence for a while. It would have been awkward, but nobody paid attention to it. We were all left to our own thoughts.

This was a sick, twisted, evil thing. If this were to continue, it would surely bring out the worst in everybody. I couldn't let that happen, not as long as I had breath in my lungs. I can't sit back and watch everything unfold!

One by one, everyone made their way out. With nothing left to say, nothing left to do, I headed to my room.

* * *

When I got there, I looked instinctively at my clock. There was still some time left before nighttime. I wanted to do something, and I figured the best possible use of my time was to talk to somebody. I left my room in search of Makoto.

**Free Time Event**

**Makoto Naegi is in the mini-mart.**

**Should I hang out with Makoto?**

Obviously, that's why I came here, right?

Makoto was holding a couple instant ramen cups when he noticed me.

"Oh! Hey Kaede!"

He smiled like a nervous puppy.

"Hey Makoto! You gonna eat all that ramen?"

The lucky student chuckled, "Oh, no, I was just grabbing some for Sayaka. We were gonna eat lunch together!" He looked at me, a mix of obligation and worry in his eyes, "Oh, uhm, would you like to join us?"

"Sure thing!"

I spent some time eating ramen in Makoto's room with him and Sayaka.

* * *

After tossing our ramen cups into Makoto's trash can, I went to go sit at his desk. Sayaka already seemed quite comfortable, sitting criss-cross on Makoto's bed. He sat nervously at the bed's edge. I could tell something was on his mind.

"Everything alright, Makoto?"

He looked up at me, snapping out of his daze,

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just this whole… thing."

Sayaka huffed, "Do you really think he wants us to kill each other?"

I scowled, "Well, he won't get us to, that's for sure! Maybe not everyone here is the nicest, but I don't think any of us are killers!"

Makoto stared at the floor, nodding absentmindedly.

Sayaka nudged his shoulder, "Hey, Makoto, you know what I just remembered?"

The lucky student turned, curiously, "Huh? What's that Sayaka?"

"Remember that time in middle school, when that huge bird flew in and landed in the middle of the lake? Oh, what was it again?"

A huge bird? I wonder if maybe…

"Could it have been a crane?"

Sayaka looked at me briefly caught off guard, but soon her face lit up with wonder, "Yes! That's what it was, I'm sure of it!" She giggled, "It was like something out of a fairytale, so majestic and elegant…" With a very demure… no, her eyes seemed kind of… _coy_. Yeah, that was it, she coyly looked up at Makoto and very softly said, "I remember how the teacher didn't know what to do with it, but… you just went up and carefully led it out of the pond and into the forest, Makoto… remember that?"

I could feel a blanket of some kind of tension being slowly wrapped around the room, enveloping Makoto in a warmth that he couldn't seem to escape. I flustered a little bit.

Was Sayaka trying to… _seduce_ him?

That's a weird thing for me to think, but still… the way she looks at him, with those doll-like eyes, the small little nudges she gives to him. I'm not much of the flirting type myself, but I'm still a girl, I think I can tell when a girl is trying to get a boy's attention.

Makoto was helpless, however, the charms of the porcelain idol were far too strong and alluring for him to resist. She was just a cute enchantress, slowly bewitching him with just a twinkle of her eye.

"Uh, yeah… I do! But that wasn't very impressive, besides, I was in charge of taking care of animals, the teachers made me do it anyway…"

"But still, I was impressed, I've… I've wanted to talk to you since then, to thank you."

"T-thank me?"

Oh good grief.

"I'm that crane, you see. You helped me out, and I've come to return the favor. Here, let me make you a cloak…"

What the heck?

"Just kidding!" Sayaka laughed. It was a cute laugh. Almost _too_ cute. Makoto chuckled, both dazed and enamoured.

I suddenly felt very awkward. Like I was intruding on a private moment Sayaka had planned in advance but had been ruined by Makoto's sudden invitation of me to his room. So, I figured why not ruin things further?

"Wow, Makoto! I didn't know how great you were with animals?"

Makoto and Sayaka turned back to me with a little hint of surprise, as though they'd forgotten I was still there. The helpless luckster scratched his head, giving me a very apologetic smile,

"Ah, Kaede! I almost forgot you were here!"

Figures. I caught Sayaka's look at me. Her smile had been exchanged for a neutral expression, but her eyes did not project the same warmth and vulnerability they had when she was speaking to Makoto. She knew what I was doing.

I laughed it off, trying especially hard to exude a similar amount of girlish charm as I spoke,

"Do you have any pets, Makoto? I bet any pet would be lucky to have you as their owner!"

My laugh was warm and inviting, Makoto seemed responsive, yet unsure. I think he might've been a bit overwhelmed by having two pretty girls so openly interested in his personal life. Honestly, I didn't blame him.

"Uh, I do have a dog, a golden lab! Brutus is his name!"

Aww, that was cute!

"Really? I'm more a cat person myself, but I'm sure you'd get along just great with Fluffy anyway! Even if he can smell the dog on you!"

I laughed cheerfully, and Makoto did as well. Sayaka laughed too, but I could tell it was forced. I would've been offended if that wasn't exactly what I was going for.

In the end, though, I had to leave. Sayaka stayed behind just a little while longer. But, I bonded with Makoto enough, at least I think I can earn his trust.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

The screen in my room lit up and projected Monokuma's face. He appeared to be lounging on a leather chair, martini glass in hand.

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

The screen buzzed off. I sat on my bed, staring at the floor.

So I spent a whole day on this island. I didn't learn much of anything. I still can't remember a lot. Where am I? How did I get here? Who's controlling Monokuma? But even simple questions too, like what year is it? And how old am I? It dawned on me, Monokuma called us high schoolers, but still… when was the last time I went to high school? When was I ever even at Hope's Peak Academy other than the orientation?

My head grew heavy with each question I asked myself. I couldn't answer them just yet. But soon… I know it. We'll all work together to figure out what's going on. Put a stop to this before it's too late.

I tucked myself in, and my eyelids slowly dropped down.

Everything went black. And I went to sleep, dreaming of my favorite song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Kiyo isn't supposed to get so mad that quickly? I don't know, I wanted someone to call Hiro a pig.
> 
> Makoto likes ramen becuase he's plain, and the real reaspon he's got two of them, is he's trying to decide who wears it better: Sayaka or Kaede. Feel free to draw that, or just comment who you think is cuter than Kyoko (the answer is, they aren't).


	3. Obsessive Compulsive Despair: Daily Life pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Makoto and Kaede have some Free Time, but choose not to spend it with each other. Wherein Monokuma reveals a motive to kill.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day! Now then. Let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!"

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking the sleep away. I heard his shrill voice at the cusp of my consciousness.

So it wasn't a dream. I really am trapped on an island with a psychopathic mastermind. This is not how I wanted to be spending my high school career. This wasn't fair. I should've been going to class, making new friends, honing my piano skills. Making a life, a future for myself. Instead, I'm being forced to play this game.

No.

I won't play this game.

There is absolutely nothing that that teddy bear can do to make me change my mind!

Slowly getting up, I headed to the shower, humming "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy. The melody washed over me like the hot water steaming out of the tap, calming my nerves, making me feel normal.

* * *

When I entered the hotel dining hall, I was genuinely surprised to see so many people already awake. There was a comforting aroma wafting in from the kitchen, like coming downstairs to discover your father made breakfast. There was something so pure and innocent in that, something that made me almost not miss home.

There was a sort of window connecting the kitchen to the dining hall. It was from here that Teruteru was handing plates of omelets and pancakes to those who'd come in looking for a meal. He gave me a cheerful smile when I approached the window.

"Ah, _mon cheri_ , so good to see your bright shining face this morning! What can I do you for?"

I wasn't entirely sure if he was flirting with me or not, I still got a bit uneasy. But he was the ultimate chef, it would be hard to say no to him.

"Do you have strawberries? I always eat my pancakes with strawberries!"

I instantly felt bad for having made such a personal request, but the pudgy chef seemed elated by it,

"Aha, finally, someone bold enough to tell me what they want!" He gave me a sleazy wink before jotting down my preference, I winced. "Anything else, Kaede? Eggs Benedict, perhaps? I could toss you a breakfast salad, hmm?"

What is up with him?

"No thanks, the pancakes should be enough!"

"Strawberry pancakes it is!"

He returned to whip up a new batch especially for me, and I made my way to a table where Mahiru, Sonia, and Celeste were already eating their meals. Mahiru greeted me as I joined them,

"Good morning, Kaede! How did you sleep?"

"Just fine, thanks! All I had to do was play my favorite song over again, that usually does the trick in stressful situations."

Celeste had on her ever courteous smile, "My my, I'm surprised you're adapting so well already! I didn't take you for the type."

Huh?

"W-what's that supposed to mean?"

I may have come off a bit more agitated than I would've liked, especially at someone who's made a career out of controlling her emotions. No doubt she sensed that, but her demeanor never wavered.

"You must be truly confused, I'm terribly sorry. You seem to have taken my _compliment_ as an _insult_." She stared me down, the intensity in her red eyes gave me chills, "I assure you, that was not my intention. Please forgive me."

"Uh, sure…"

Her cheerful smile returned, "Wonderful!"

This girl was unsettling.

"Oh my, this is simply an exquisite cuisine, I must have more!"

Sonia stood up with great exuberance and began marching off to Teruteru prompting a look of worry in Mahiru's eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll go after her. My pancakes must be almost done anyway!"

The photographer nodded, a small grateful smile playing at the corners of her lips.

I followed the naive princess to the kitchen window, where, sure enough, a plate of fresh strawberry pancakes were stacked generously upon another.

"Princess! Welcome back!" the chef slyly turned to me, pushing the plate closer, "Kaede, your dish. Much like the lady who requested it, it's perfectly sweet as is. However… feel free to slather as much of my _syrup_ on as you like! I made it from scratch!" The more he opened his mouth the more I wanted to shut it. It almost felt wrong to accept food from him, I was worried he would drug it somehow. But, these pancakes looked so fluffy and warm, better than anything I'd seen in commercials…

Ugh. Fine.

"Thank you, Teruteru."

"Bon appetit!" With a wink he turned to Sonia, "Now, my darling princess, what can I whip up for you?"

The fragrance of my pancakes reached Sonia's nostrils, and I could tell what she desired, her sparkling platinum eyes told me everything.

"My oh my, Kaede, that looks absolutely exquisite!"

"Huh? Yeah, they really look gr-"

"Teruteru! I demand that you conjure me up the exact same dish as Kaede's!"

For a brief moment, the perverted chef and I shared a look of speechlessness. I didn't want to share anything else with Teruteru.

* * *

I had just finished my angelic pancakes when I noticed Mukuro Ikusaba sitting off by her lonesome. Feeling stuffed to the brim and near comatose due to the sheer amount of dopamine this food had given my system, I had to force myself out of my seat to go talk to her. I wanted to make sure she wasn't feeling left out, especially after how Monokuma had gone after her yesterday.

"Hey Mukuro!"

She didn't give me so much as a nod. She just continued to eat her food, not once looking up or acknowledging my existence. I persevered.

"May I sit here a while?"

Silence.

I sat there anyway.

More silence.

Mukuro delicately chewed her eggs. I didn't care much for them, but I could only imagine how Teruteru might've been able to change my perspective.

"Hey, I'm sorry Monokuma called you out like that. I don't think you're just some heartless killer."

Mukuro took a sip of her water. I let the tension hang between us, I was determined to get something from her. She seemed equally determined to remain bottled up.

"Mukuro, I know we just met, but… if you need anyone to talk to, ever, I'm here for you, okay?"

The silence persisted until the soldier took the final bite of her omelet and washed it down with the last of her water. Dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin, she slowly stood up and turned, dishes in hand. I let out a defeated sigh. She had just barely gotten out of range when she suddenly stopped. Without turning, she uttered two cold words,

"I'm fine."

That was that.

Mukuro Ikusaba left her plate and cup on the window sill. Either Teruteru was busy cleaning up or even he didn't want to chance flirting with Mukuro, because not a sound entered the air of the dining hall, except for the clunking of her boots as they took her further and further away until finally, she was gone.

Well, that could have gone worse.

* * *

Time seemed to pass by slowly, but even still, I looked up at the clock and noticed it was already almost lunch time. Naturally, I was still reeling from the divinity of those pancakes, they'd tasted exactly what I always imagined pancakes should taste like: clouds. Strawberry flavored clouds.

I decided to take a nap. It's not like I really had anywhere else to be at that moment, so I didn't really see the harm in sleeping off that breakfast. Putting aside thoughts of my imprisonment, I let Debussy roam freely in my head as I drifted to a nice doze.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Makoto Naegi**

My stomach felt as full as my head did, which was a sensation I wasn't quite sure of how to process. The events of yesterday were all still so vivid and threatening, as though they were playing live on a loop right in front of me.

This island… What is this place? How did I get here? Who is behind Monokuma? Is there someone behind him, there has to be, right?

I couldn't just sit in my room all day contemplating. Even if my body felt a tad comatose, I know I can't just isolate myself. I have to get to the bottom of this, and the only way to do that is by interacting with the others… but still…

They're all so different than me, it's kind of intimidating…

At least I have Sayaka. That smile, that scent, there was just something about her that put my mind at ease.

But then there's Kaede, I don't know her as well, but something about her positive attitude… I'm glad she's here too.

I should find them, make sure they're doing okay. I wasn't quite sure, but I felt that maybe they'd gotten off on the wrong foot.

Sayaka's villa was right next door to mine, I gave the bell a ring and waited. No answer. I rang again, still nothing. Maybe she was taking a shower? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't go in to check, so I figured I'd just wait until before nighttime to check on her.

I walked up to the entrance of the boardwalk, stopping at Kaede's door. I gave it a ring, and I was met with the same silence. Well, maybe they might be somewhere else. I guess I should go around the island and check. It couldn't hurt.

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Nekomaru is at the Mini-Mart**

I don't know what compelled me to the mini-mart, maybe I assumed I'd run into Kaede there again. Instead, I found the ultimate team manager scouring the shelves.

"Hmm, the variety of protein bars here is shameful! How am I supposed to build all of my muscle groups adequately with this hunk of shit?"

**Should I hang out with Nekomaru?**

Sure, why not?

"Ah, Makoto! Just the young man I wanted to see! Based on my earlier assessment of your physique, I've come up with the perfect workout routine for you! Come, let's begin!"

Before I could answer, Nekomaru placed his large hands on my shoulders and pulled me along with him.

I spent some time working out with Nekomaru.

* * *

"And twenty! Good job Makoto!"

My arms were sore, I'd never done so many push-ups before. But still, I didn't feel overworked at all.

"Thank you, Nekomaru!"

The team manager laughed magnanimously,

"Anytime, Makoto! As long as you keep yourself active, you should be able to build more endurance in that tiny little body of yours!"

Uh… thanks?

Nekomaru looked straight at me, a silence came over him and he began to scratch his chin. I felt his gaze bury into the depths of my soul. Was he… analyzing me?!

"Of course I'm analyzing you! That's my job!"

"Wait, y-you heard that?" Could it be…? "Do you have really good intuition too?"

Nekomaru laughed uproariously, "Good intuition? More like I'm good at reading people! I can feel what you're feeling on pure instinct alone!"

…Isn't that what intuition means?

"And what I see in you is potential!"

What, like in sports?

"No! Don't be ridiculous! You're completely average at sports, maybe even a little less so!"

He did it again... Huh?! I know that but… that kinda hurt…

"Please, don't take this the wrong way, but as a manager, I can tell when somebody is suited for physical activity and when they're not. And since I want you to succeed, you shouldn't be wasting your potential on sports."

"Ah, I see… that makes sense. But, aren't you supposed to be a sports manager?"

Nekomaru crossed his arms, "Of course, that's my specialty."

He's so intense…

"So, why the interest in me if you're not trying to get me to do sports?"

Nekomaru glared at me, and I worried I'd offended him. Then, he shot his head back and roared.

"Just because you shouldn't do sports professionally, Makoto, doesn't mean you shouldn't play sports at all! Sports are a good, fun source of physical exercise, and I believe everyone should exercise, everyday!"

He aggressively pointed a finger at my face. I wouldn't have minded much, but it was a centimeter from the tip of my nose, which made me feel violated,

"That is why we're going to work out every single day we're here! I'm going to make you the best version of yourself or my name isn't NEKOMARU NIDAI: THE ULTIMATE TEAM MANAGER!"

… Well, he's certainly passionate!

Still, I certainly felt like I had bonded with Nekomaru. He may have been really intense, but somehow, I was still really looking forward to working out with him.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

My eyelids opened back up. The painful bliss in my stomach had subsided, and any trace of drowsiness had completely vanished. Stretching my arms out, I looked at the clock.

There's still some time left in the day, I shouldn't just sit around doing nothing!

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Korekiyo, Mahiru, Sonia, and Hiro are at the Park**

I decided the best way to get my legs moving was to walk around the park. There were already a few people here, hopefully I'd be able to talk to them and maybe get some more ideas about what kind of a place we're in.

I stayed on the trail that went around the perimeter of the park, looking around at the trees and grass. The fountain trickled like a glissando, it was relaxing to say the least.

"Hey Kaede! Say "cheese"!...Just kidding!"

*click*

Huh? Did Mahiru just snap a candid of me?

The photographer checked her camera and smiled gleefully,

"Hey, for a candid that's pretty good, Kaede! You're very photogenic!"

"Uhm, thank you!"

Mahiru continued to smile. Looking at her now I suddenly felt I was looking at a picture of an actress on a poster for one of those romantic comedies. There was something serene and comforting about her presence.

**Should I hang out with Mahiru?**

Absolutely!

"Hey, I was just going around for a walk, you want to join me?"

Mahiru thought for a moment, "Hmm, I haven't taken pictures of the park today yet…" She suddenly perked up, "Oh! And Sonia and Korekiyo are here, I need pictures of them as well! Yeah, let's go!"

I spent some time walking with Mahiru. She took candids of Sonia and Korekiyo while I watched.

* * *

"Now say "cheese"!"

"What?"

"Gotcha!"

Korekiyo looked unnerved as Mahiru took a picture of him. It was kind of unusual to see him looking so off guard, I always took him for the not-easily-agitated type. He made a two finger point with one of his bandaged arms,

"What…are you doing?"

Mahiru held up her camera,

"Just trying to get a record of our daily lives here! I'm not a top notch investigator or anything, so I feel like I can be more helpful if I try and document how our life progresses until we find a way to get away from here."

That…actually seems pretty helpful!

Korekiyo, face hiding behind his mask, closed his eyes and made some weird noise, almost like he was laughing,

"Kehehe…so you intend on capturing the very essence of our humanity? I must say…" as he opened his eyes, there was a revitalized sense of fascination gleaming in them, "That is absolutely beautiful!"

I did not expect that from him.

Mahiru didn't seem to either, but she started blushing,

"Uh, thank you! I like to think that what I do has more meaning than people give me credit for! Whenever people see my pictures, they just don't get it, y'know? They just say things like 'that's amazing' or 'that's so cool'. Empty words of praise."

"I know exactly how you feel. To pour all of your time into exploring the depths of the soul, only to have such discoveries go unappreciated because nobody cares to have been as diligent as you…it's frustrating…"

Wow, Mahiru and Korekiyo are really getting each other…but I think I get where they're coming from too!

"It's like that whenever I play the piano too! Because, when I play, it's more than just hitting all the right notes, or how difficult the piece is, or even who wrote the piece, but also about how I feel when I'm playing it! That translates into what others are feeling!"

"Kehehehe…it would appear that we understand each other quite well…"

That's certainly surprising. I think Korekiyo might have understood what I was thinking.

"You two…thank you for sharing with me your sources of joy…it reminds me just how _beautiful_ humanity can be. It's one thing to read about our history, but to experience it and capture it moment by moment," he turned to Mahiru, I couldn't tell, but it almost looked like he was blushing, "I can see why you would desire to capture such seemingly mundane moments. For the mundane are the most human of all…"

Korekiyo turned his back towards us and began to walk away, "Feel free to capture my moments whenever you like…"

I watched as the anthropologist left, stopping to talk to the princess we'd carelessly left to fend off against the clairvoyant. I turned to Mahiru, who seemed at a loss for words.

"Huh? Is something wrong Mahiru?"

"What? Oh, no, I was just…I'm glad someone finally gets it!"

She looked at me with an appreciative smile. I could tell we bonded together and with Korekiyo as well.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10 pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

So that was that. Another day on this island. Still no sign of a way off, no sign of help from the outside world. No sign of hope…

No, I couldn't think like that. There is always hope! I just gotta get everyone else on board with that. Some will be harder to convince.

But I know I'm not alone. I've got Makoto and Mahiru. Even Kaito and Mondo. There's no way, even if that's just five people out of sixteen, no way that we can lose. As long as there's still one, all it takes to play the piano is one person. One person to inspire another person.

With that, I set my head on my pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! This is a special school announcement! Please meet me at Jabberwock Park pronto!"

The video message cut out. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. A special announcement? There was no way that this could be good.

When I stepped out of my cottage, I ran into an unexpected figure. I'd been in such a hurry, the force of the collision knocked me back, I lost my balance and began falling towards the water. As soon as I'd realized I was falling, I felt a strong grip around my wrist and got a rush from being pulled in the opposite direction so quickly. Instead of landing in the water, I face planted on a bare chest.

"Whoa, sorry 'bout that, didn't mean to shove ya so hard."

"Ah! M-Mondo?"

Mondo Oowada stood firmly rooted on the boardwalk, looking down at me with concern in his eyes. When he saw my reaction, he pushed me slightly back, cast his gaze to the side, and began rubbing his neck casually,

"Yeah? Sorry, did I startle you?"

"N-no, I was just- ah, thank you for catching me!"

He crossed his arms, looking sternly at me.

"Sure, whatever. I pushed you after all, so it'd been a dick move for me to letcha fall."

We stood there, staring at each other. For an incredibly aggressive and macho man, his eyes were just…so… _purple!_

Wait- what?

"Hey, hello? You gonna say something?"

I could tell he was struggling not to snap at me. Something tells me he wasn't so patient with someone like Hiro.

"Oh, y-yeah, sure! Did you-?" I was getting suddenly very flustered and I couldn't quite get why. It's not like I was that into bad boys or anything…I wasn't into Mondo! "Are you going to the Park?"

"Well yeah, that dumb fuckin' bear hasn't been givin' me much choice, case you hadn't noticed."

I had.

He must've seen me flinch at his forceful tone, because he cast his gaze aside again.

"We should probably go before he gets pis- er, _mad_ at us for bein' late and… _stuff_."

Was he trying not to swear in front of me?

I nodded, and we walked together to the Park.

* * *

Thankfully, we weren't the last ones there. Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro came strolling in at their own paces. But that didn't much matter since _he_ didn't show up until we were all there.

"Upupupupu! Students, students, I have come to a very special realization!"

"Have you realized that we're never going to kill each other?"

Monokuma laughed at the boldness of Kaito's aggressive assertion.

"My, my Kaito! Aren't you quite confident in these people? These total strangers! Many of whom have deep, dark, _bloody_ secrets of their own just boiling to burst out onto the scene!"

The astronaut gritted his teeth, "Best friends, total strangers, it makes no difference! We won't just kill each other!"

"Upupupu! As much as I hate hearing your sickeningly saccharine sentiments, I will concede you are right about one thing."

Kaito struggled to say something, he hadn't been expecting the bear to agree with him.

What was he plotting?

"You see, last night I was thinking it over: 'Monokuma' I asked myself, 'Monokuma, what are you doing wrong? Why haven't they killed each other yet?' And then it hit me! It was so obvious, I don't know how it took me so long! You're right, Kaito Momota, you won't _just_ kill each other! Even a soldier doesn't go around killing indiscriminately! No, you won't do that. But, you _will_ do that with a **motive**!"

A…motive?

There was a gut wrenching silence looming over us as we waited with baited breath for Monokuma to deliver his scheme.

"I bet you're all wondering: 'where am I? How did I get here? Why am I here with all of _these_ people?' And so on! Well, wouldn't you like to know?"

Makoto, standing next to me, somehow managed to squeak out a question,

"What do you mean?"

Monokuma giggled, "I know that feeling! That fuzzy-in-my-brain feeling! That tip-of-my-tongue feeling! It's not despair-inducing so much as it's just gosh darn annoying! Something's not quite right, but you can't quite put your grimy, teenage fingers on it! So, if you want to know what the heck is going on with you, your friends, your family: kill somebody by nighttime tomorrow, and **I'll help you remember**!"

After that, Monokuma didn't take any questions. He just laughed like a maniac and disappeared.

What did he mean?

What memories?

Didn't I remember eventually?

Or did I just remember the things Monokuma and the Mastermind wanted me to?

What else was I forgetting?

I looked around and I could tell these questions and others were parading around the heads of everyone there. Looks of panic, confusion, fear, distrust replaced whatever else had been in their eyes.

Resolute, clearly shaken, even for a moment, Kaito was not one to be easily deterred.

"C'mon guys, we can't let him get to us! This is a classic case of Pandora's box! I'm sure whatever memories he'll claim to have taken is just a load of crap!"

Of all people, Kazuichi was one of the last I expected to take issue with Kaito's, or anyone's, leadership, "Yeah, but, why would it be a motive if it wasn't important?"

Korekiyo added his piece in as well, "I quite agree with the Pandora's Box analogy. That story perfectly captivates the curious nature of humans. It's very similar to "curiosity killed the cat" proverbs found in different variations all over the world. In either case, it's not so much the object presented that is the issue, but the character's willingness to throw caution to the wind in order to understand an unsolvable riddle that proves most troublesome. It could just as easily be a red herring."

Byakuya was quick to observe, "But it is as you say, no matter how you tell these stories: the box is still opened, the cat is still dead."

"Kehehe…so you are correct."

"Gh-! Damn it! Quit talkin' in riddles! Who the hell is this Pandora chick you're talking about?"

Byakuya and Korekiyo answered Mondo in perfect, subduing unison, " _Quiet._ "

Mondo clenched his fists, his head turned red. But he held his tongue.

"I simply don't understand. Whether we have forgotten something or not, that does not change the fact that we all know who we are and, more or less, where we are. We may not have all the secrets, but that is of little consequence."

Kaito looked quizzically at the gambler, who'd chirped up all of a sudden, "What are you implying?"

Celeste gave a small giggle, bringing her manicured fingers to her lips, "If you truly care about survival, you must drop all plans of escape and adapt to our current situation. That is all."

The astronaut clenched his teeth. The mechanic spoke again,

"Well, c'mon guys. What if the key to our escape is in those memories?"

"But what if there isn't anything there, ya know?" Hiro scratched his chin, "I mean, if we forgot for a reason, maybe it's better that we don't remember?"

Kaito turned from Celeste to Hiro, "Hey, are you giving up too?"

The clairvoyant raised his hands up defensively, "What? No! I mean, just that, what if it prevents us from escaping?"

Korekiyo adjusted his hat, "On the contrary, there could be valuable information stored in these memories."

"Huh?! Weren't you the one who pointed out the curiosity stuff?"

"Kehehe… of course, that is still true, but that doesn't change the fact that we are all curious, aren't we?"

Hiro didn't respond. Nobody responded to the anthropologist's question. He was right.

"Kehehe…it is like I said, there's a _reason_ these stories exist."

The silence returned to us.

So that was it, huh? That was Monokuma's plan to get us to kill one another. This was both a direct and an indirect motive. On the one hand, we really didn't know what or even if anything was taken from us. But then again, that was the whole point, to sow seeds of doubt in our minds. It was a risky trick, but still…

And then, _he_ spoke.

"Teruteru, go make breakfast."

I turned to face the ultimate scion, who hadn't changed his posture in the slightest. He'd merely conjured up an order and blew it into the air. The chef was quick to respond,

"Huh? Do you…yearn for my cooking already? Have you already become dependent upon my food? How delightful!"

Jesus Christ.

"I won't repeat myself."

Teruteru saluted and slyly winked, "Whatever you say, boss!"

The chef tottered off to start preparing meals for everyone. The rest of us remained rooted to where we stood, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, Byakuya was there to tell us exactly what to do.

"Well? Aren't you hungry?"

Huh?

"Go. Eat."

There were several uneasy glances. A low growl emanated from Toko, "Y-you all b-better obey M-Master B-Byakuya! Or else I-I'll-!" but the writer never finished her threat, getting a good look at everyone and suddenly becoming overwhelmed by the attention, she ended up slinking off into the shadows and nervously made her way to the dining hall.

I looked at Makoto, he looked at me. Sayaka nudged him and he looked back at her.

"Uhm, we should go, right Makoto?"

The lucky student nodded, "Oh, yeah, right!"

Oh, she's good.

With nothing left to do, I fell in step with Mahiru, and the two of us walked to the dining hall together. From the corner of my eye, however, I saw two people staying firmly planted. I didn't see them for too long until I turned the corner of the hotel and entered the dining hall through the back door. But my suspicions were confirmed when I surveyed the room.

It _was_ them.

Byakuya Togami and Mukuro Ikusaba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my first attempts at some interesting new dynamics. We see the beginnings of the Table of Waifus, where Kaede, Mahiru, Sonia, and Celeste will spend their breakfasts. Also some protag training for Makoto, courtesy of Nekomaru, as well as a strangely endearing Mahiru and Kiyo moment. Of course, these FTEs are variations of the canon ones, changed to accomodate the different circumstances and variables. I'm not too terribly creative yet, so bear with me for now!
> 
> Thank you for reading, let me know what you think so far! With that motive, that can only mean it's a matter of time before a murder. Who's it gonna be, do you think? If you have a Fanfiction.net account, you might already know...Enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe out there.
> 
> -That1guyeveryonehates.


	4. Obsessive Compulsive Despair: Daily Life pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Byakuya has somethin' to say, Kaito and Kazuichi bro out, and Kaede is a homewrecker.

Chewing on my pancakes, I looked around the room. Byakuya and Mukuro were still absent. That was really strange, especially since Byakuya made us come in here anyway. Could it be he was planning something? Was Mukuro helping him?

I looked over at another table, where Toko sat picking at her eggs in silence. She kept looking over her shoulder, scanning the room, glancing at the door. It was the first time I'd seen her without Byakuya somewhere nearby, is that who she was looking for?

Kaito sat with Mondo, Kazuichi, Nekomaru, and Hiro and even they were surprisingly quiet. I could tell that Kaito had something on his mind. He was thinking very hard about something, probably related to that escape plan he wanted so bad. I don't know what he had in mind, but I knew I'd support it the best that I could. Anything to get out of here with everyone.

Sayaka was sitting alone with Makoto. I know that's what she wanted, but that's definitely not what I wanted. For starters, I didn't trust her… not that I didn't want to, but she seemed almost like she was manipulating him. It just didn't sit well with me. I wanted to escape with her too, but she had been very quick to attach herself to Makoto. Too quick.

Or maybe I was jealous. Wait, why would I be jealous? It's not like I knew Makoto well either. Still, I hated seeing him wrapped around her finger like that.

Korekiyo had decided to sit where Mukuro had sat yesterday. Since she wasn't there, it made sense that nobody would be there. I was a little disappointed. There was enough room for a fifth person at my table, and I had really thought Korekiyo opened up a little to Mahiru and I yesterday. Oh well, probably best to let him come out of his shell on his own.

Speaking of my table, the four of us-Celeste, Mahiru, Sonia, and I-sat in a very polite silence. If I made eye contact with either the gambler or the princess, I would receive a prim smile and a dainty nod, almost as though they were imitating each other. Mahiru was in too deep of thought to really look up to acknowledge anyone. I didn't blame her, we had a lot to think about.

The only person who actively made noise was the resident chef, Teruteru. Not only did I hear the cracking and sizzling of eggs and the movement of pans, but the pudgy cook would sometimes mutter to himself. I couldn't make out what he was saying exactly, but he seemed very irritated. Something suggested to me that this was more to do with Byakuya's absence than anything else. Teruteru didn't strike me as the person who was focusing hard on our current situation. Of all of us, he seemed the least on edge, the most normal. I reckoned as long as he had food to cook, he would be relatively fine.

The silence was broken when the door finally swung open. In walked Mukuro and Byakuya. The soldier did not look at anyone, but grabbed a plate of eggs and a glass of water and sat opposite of Korekiyo, who looked a bit perturbed to see her join him so easily. Clearly, she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

Byakuya, on the other hand, had no qualms with being the focal point. He stood with a menacing glare, scanning the room, counting everyone present. The room, in turn, silently looked back at him. Some even returned the glare.

Finally, with a sideways glance at Teruteru, the scion spoke.

"Teruteru, bring my plate to me and sit down. I have something I would like to discuss with the group."

The chef, now calmed down, quickly tidied things in the kitchen and swiftly brought byakuya a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee. He then took a seat himself, forced to sit by Toko since there were very few other options.

Byakuya took a sip of his coffee and smirked, "Excellent." Then he fixed his glasses, adjusted his tie, and resumed his dominant position. It was then that I noticed he carried a case file in his hand. I couldn't see what it said, but my gut told me that had something to do with what he wanted to tell us.

What could it be?

"I'm going to be brief with this, I don't want to waste too much of my valuable time speaking to most of you. But, I recently made a discovery that concerns all of our safety."

Our safety?

He presented the case file with a dramatic flourish,

"Whatever memories we may or may not have lost, I believe most of you are familiar with the subject of this case file, yes?"

Wait… did that say… 'Genocider Syo'?!

Mahiru looked startled, as did many others. It had to be…

"Hmph, so my assumption was correct. Yes, this indeed is the case file for the notorious serial killer known as 'Genocider Syo'. I have great reason to believe… no, I _know_ with absolute certainty that she is, indeed, among us at this very moment."

What!? A serial killer? Here?

I looked around the room in shock, but so did many of the others. We barely knew each other, but had we really misjudged so poorly to not detect that one of us was a serial killer? Some people, however, did not share the shock.

"Kehehe… 'Genocider Syo', eh? Urban legend suggests he may have been responsible for dozens of murders, however…" He looked up with suspicion in his sulphuric eyes, "Syo's true identity has never been determined… how could you say this with such certainty?"

Just across from me, I noticed a certain princess' platinum eyes sparkling,

"Oh my, a real life serial killer? Among us?! And Genocider Syo no less, how truly exhilarating!"

… I think I need to start reevaluating my expectation of Sonia…

"Never mind how I found out, but I _do_ know. Genocider Syo is really: **Toko Fukawa**."

Toko is… Genocider Syo?

Fourteen pairs of eyes were drawn like magnets to the unsuspecting literary author. She just sat there in absolute horror, clutching one of her long pigtails, glasses askew, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.

"T-Toko? Is that true?"

But Toko didn't look at Kaito, her eyes were transfixed on Byakuya Togami, who stood without a care in the world, eyes averted, posture composed.

"H-how… how…?"

She just kept muttering that, and it suddenly clicked to me. How Byakuya said that, why Toko looked shaken up. Because it _was_ true. And she had _told_ him.

"What are you trying to pull, Byakuya?!"

I couldn't help myself. I shot out of my seat and glared at him, fist clenched, face burning. Unlike others, Byakuya actually made eye contact with me, but his face remained stoic… until…

He smiled,

"I am simply looking out for my own interests. Surely, you can see that?"

His own interests?

I didn't understand what he meant, but Celeste seemed to,

"I see, you want to inspire a murder, is that it?"

What?!

"You assume that if we know Toko is a serial killer, we'll be scared of her and want to get rid of her, is that it?"

"That's seriously fucked, man!"

Mondo raised his fist and his body, yelling straight at the scion, who refused to look at him. The biker didn't wait for him to acknowledge his anger and continued anyway,

"You want us to kill this chick? I don't care if you can't stand her following your bitch ass around, but to tell someone to even lift a finger against a woman is shit and deserves to die themselves! You hear me? You piece of shit!"

"Plankton."

"H-huh?"

"One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So minuscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean." Byakuya took a sip of his coffee. "Truly, my compliments, Teruteru."

"Wha- Don't just change topics and ignore me y-you coward! Who're you callin' a fuckin' plankton?!"

It took the combined efforts of Kaito and Hiro to hold Mondo back from approaching Byakuya. The scion drained his cup and handed it to Teruteru, who was stunned into silence. Without any other words, Byakuya casually walked out of the dining hall.

Nobody dared say anything, the tension was suffocating us. Nobody seemed to have a knife sharp enough to cut through it.

Well, except maybe the chef.

"Huh!? He didn't even touch his eggs!"

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaito Momota**

That damn Byakuya, going off and making unnecessary trouble like that! It boiled my blood just thinking about it, so I tried not to. But me being who I am, once I set my eyes on something, it's hard to steer them away.

Mondo was in a bigger mood than I was, though I figured it was because of what Byakuya called him. Tch, that bastard. I reckon I could take him easy, but something in my gut is telling me I probably shouldn't try…

Oh, right, I was trying _not_ to think about that!

I looked around my cottage, trying to think of a better use of my time. Finally, taking a look at the clock, I realized I had a lot of time left in the day.

I know, getting out and about, clearing my head a little, that should do it! Exercise always gets me in the zone! I shouldn't exercise alone though…

Walking out my door, I decided to go find Kazuichi.

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Kazuichi is at the airport**

I found the mechanic tinkering around with a bunch of wrenches and pipes. It didn't look like he was building anything, just taking apart and putting back together the same things. He looked up when I entered, and gave me a friendly smile when he recognized me.

"Ah, hey Kaito! Come to work on our plane? Y'know, I was thinking about it, and I wouldn't mind building a rocket… if I can find the right parts, that is!"

**Should I hang out with Kazuichi?**

Aha!

"That sounds brilliant, Kazuu, but if you're going to help an astronaut, you're gonna need proper astronaut training! C'mon, let's go!"

He looked startled as I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet,

"W-wait, what are we doing?"

I spent some time training with Kazuichi.

* * *

After our tenth lap around the island, I decided Kazuichi had had enough. Most of my decision came from how he'd dragged himself to the starting line after collapsing halfway through the ninth lap. If I was being honest, though, I half-expected he'd put up more of a fight when I told him to run.

But I knew he could do it!

We headed to the mini-mart to grab a couple water bottles. I watched as Kazuichi began eyeing the sodas. I scowled,

"Hey now! Just what do you think you're looking at?"

Kazuichi jumped, "Huh? Oh, nothing, just tryna pick the right soda…"

"Soda?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!"

The mechanic, oddly named Soda, turned to look at me, scratching his chin,

"Wha-? Don't you drink soda after exercise? Y'know, to balance out the healthy?"

'Balance out the healthy'?

"Of course not! It doesn't balance anything! It just cancels out what you worked hard to accomplish! That's like building a time machine just to see if you could do it, but then taking it apart again before you can use it!"

Kazuichi seemed to process what I was saying. Then, hesitantly, he asked, "Well, what's so wrong with that?"

What!?

I sighed, "Kazuu, you're really bummin' me out right now. This just doesn't cut it…"

I knew exactly what I had to do. Before Kazuu could react, I placed a hand on his shoulder and mustered up my most determined expression.

"I'm officially accepting you as my sidekick!"

There was a pause. Kazuu seemed more taken aback than excited. What was up with that?

"Uhm, sidekick?"

"Yeah, my sidekick! I'm the hero, and every hero needs a sidekick!"

He clearly needed some more encouragement.

"It's like this, Kazuu-"

"-Hey, why do you keep callin' me-"

"-You clearly have a lot of potential, but you've not been shown how to focus that potential! Someday, you'll be a great hero, I can feel it! But, until that day comes, you _need_ a hero to show you the ropes! So, just leave it to me! After all, I am Kaito Momota: Luminary of the Stars!"

Kazuu looked back at me, his mouth was open, he didn't seem to quite know what to say. Then, he chuckled,

"That sounds pretty awesome. I look forward to working with ya, hero!"

A surge of adrenaline rushed back into my veins. I extended my hand out for a handshake. Kazuu gripped it. It was quite firm. I could feel the hero potential coursing through him too…

I tried to let go… but for some reason, he started glaring at me…

"... So Kaito, who are you aiming for?"

"Huh? You mean _what_ am I aiming for? The stars, obviously! I gotta get off this island and get to space asap!"

He scowled at me, "No, I mean _who_! I'm talking about the ladies, of course! You better answer that carefully, I know how to turn your alarm clock into a time bomb!"

"Huh!? With that kind of time, you could've finished the spaceship!"

Still, I couldn't help but feel like I'd bonded with Kazuichi today. If only it were so easy with everyone… wait, that's it!

* * *

**Now Entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

After the scene at the dining hall, I needed some fresh air. Thankfully, Mahiru agreed to join me for a walk on the beach. She seemed pretty eager to get away from the tension slowly wrapping around us like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey.

I walked alongside the redhead as she snapped pictures of the trees and ocean. She kept looking at her camera with great intensity after every picture, though. A difference I'd noticed from earlier. Finally, after about twenty minutes, she gave a defeated sigh and turned to me.

"I'm sorry, Kaede, but… it's just, can I take your picture?"

Where was this coming from? Mahiru looked greatly distressed, her face nearly turned as red as her hair. Naturally, I had to oblige her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, totally Mahiru!"

I barely finished giving my consent when I heard the click.

"Uh, w-wait! I think I blinked in that one!"

Mahiru looked at the photo and started laughing,

"You have such a goofy-looking face Kaede!"

She showed me the picture. The lens was perfectly focused, but my face clearly was in the middle of transitioning between expressions, one side of my lips curling up in my natural smile, my eyelids were only half open.

"Wha-! I look ridiculous!"

"Yeah, but, you look so genuine! That's okay though, if you don't like it, I can take another one."

Mahiru was still smiling, but something about her tone seemed to indicate she was quite taken with the photo she had. Against my better judgement, I sighed and said,

"No, it's fine. You are the ultimate photographer after all. If it's good enough for you it's good enough for me!"

There was a twinkle in Mahiru's eyes, it was the most her age I'd ever seen her act,

"Really? So you like it then!"

I didn't say that…

"So, can I see the other pictures you took?"

Mahiru looked off to the side,

"Oh, um, I didn't take any other pictures…"

"What? That's not true! I totally saw you taking pictures earlier!"

The photographer tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"Well, I mean, I _did_ but… I deleted them."

She- deleted her pictures?

"They just weren't… what I wanted to see… it's an arts thing, y'know?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I understand not performing up to your expectations. But still, they couldn't have been _that_ bad, right? Not all of them, anyway?"

Mahiru bit her lip, "It's not that-"

She couldn't finish as a certain lucky student stumbled through the bushes and into our path, almost colliding right into us. Startled, Mahiru leaped back but quickly regained her composure and scolded the boy.

"Geez, Makoto! Watch where you're going! You boys are all so reckless!"

Well… she wasn't wrong about _this_ particular cast…

Makoto scratched the back of his head apologetically,

"Ah! Sorry Mahiru! Sorry Kaede! Uh, Kaito sent me to find both of you, actually…"

Huh? What does Kaito want from us?

Mahiru and I exchanged glances, "Did he say why?"

Makoto shrugged, "I tried to get him to tell me, but he just insisted that I get you. Said it was urgent!"

Well, that's helpful. I guess there's not much else I can get out of him right now. We nodded and let Makoto take us to where Kaito was.

* * *

We found the astronaut standing at the entrance to the boardwalk, deep in thought as he seemed to do when he was surrounded by quiet. That all changed when he saw us.

"Kaede, Mahiru, you came! Good work Makoto!"

Mahiru was quick to the point,

"Why did you call for us, Kaito?"

The purple man scratched his chin,

"Well, I was thinking a lot about this morning, I mean, it was _really_ bothering me how poorly Byakuya was acting. I figured that nobody's more affected by his bullying than Toko's been. I wanted to form a group of reliable and friendly individuals to help cheer her up!"

That's what he wanted? That was not at all what I had expected. Then again, it was definitely something Kaito would come up with. Makoto spoke up.

"Do you think that's a great idea? Even if Byakuya was lying about Toko being a… about Genocider Syo, my interactions with Toko have been less than pleasant."

"I agree with Makoto, Toko just doesn't seem like the kind of person who really wants to open up to anyone."

Kaito seemed disappointed for a split second,

"C'mon guys, that's exactly my point! I bet the reason Toko's like this is because kids were always afraid of her growing up! She's a human being, and a high schooler like all of us! How would you feel if nobody ever came to talk to you!"

He… made a point.

"I think that's a great idea, Kaito!"

He gave me an appreciative smile. Makoto chimed back in,

"I wasn't against it or anything! But, when you put it like that, it makes more sense that we should do it!"

The three of us looked expectantly at Mahiru, who, sensing the pressure, relented with a sigh.

"I'm not against it either, I'd like for Toko to be more involved with the group… I just have my reservations is all."

Kaito nodded with understanding,

"I totally get that, Mahi-Mahi, that's why I wanted to go as a small group, so as to not overwhelm her!"

"What did you just call me?"

"Alright gang, let's go!"

We walked a few feet over from where we stood over to Toko's door. The three of us formed a semi-circle behind Kaito as he rang the doorbell. We waited a few minutes, the only sound was of Kaito's incessant ringing.

"K-Kaito, don't you think you're being a little too aggressive there?"

"Relax Makoto, I'm a professional!"

A professional what?

Just as I could feel Mahiru move to stop Kaito, the door opened slightly ajar, and we saw the timid face of Toko Fukawa staring nervously back at us through her wire-rimmed glasses.

"W-what do you want-t?"

"Hey Toko, we just wanted to talk, make sure you were doin' alright!"

The ultimate writer furrowed her brow and looked up at Kaito.

"I won't let her out! I-I'm going to k-keep her under c-control this t-time!"

'Won't let _her_ out? Could she mean-? So, was it true then?

"Of course not, Toko! I believe in you! But that's not what I wanted to know!"

Makoto took a slight step forward, seemingly emboldened by Kaito's attempts.

"We want to know if _you're_ okay, Toko! You're our friend, we care about you!"

When she looked at him, her pupils dilated. What was she thinking? Did that mean she was angry or offended? She began breathing heavily, keeping her gaze on Makoto,

"Y-you care ab-bout me?"

I stepped forward, brushing my arm slightly against Makoto's,

"Of course we do, Toko! We want to know if you're okay! Did Byakuya hurt you? What did he say to you before that made him find out-?"

I couldn't really finish my thought before Toko suddenly snapped.

"B-Byakuya would never hurt me! He's going to help m-me! B-because he said that y-you all think I'm g-gross! You all are _not_ my friends!"

With that, she slammed the door.

The four of us stood there in silence.

"Geez, I told you that wouldn't go well!"

* * *

"Something just doesn't sit well. I feel like there are some things Toko isn't telling us."

I swallowed my potatoes to comment on what Makoto told me.

"There are probably a lot of things Toko isn't telling us, Makoto. It'd probably be better if we gave her some time to catch her breath. She just had a pretty big secret revealed, and she probably thinks that we all suspect her."

Makoto sipped his milk.

"But we all _do_ suspect her. I can't change how others feel, but… if I can make Toko trust me, then, maybe I can open her up, and help the others see she's not so bad after all!"

"That's very noble of you, Makoto."

He looked taken aback. I was shocked with how forward I was just then. But it was true. It was a very noble thing to do. Like the kind-hearted protagonist in an anime, he just wanted to befriend even the shyest person. He may not have noticed it, but he had that aura about him. That soothing presence that just made you want to get right next to him and stay there, because you knew he would protect you, no matter what.

Makoto Naegi was a really great guy.

I felt my cheeks warming up again, and I quickly shoved more potatoes in my mouth. Makoto didn't seem to notice, he was still thinking about what I had said.

"Hey Makoto! Oh, hi Kaede."

Sayaka.

"Huh? Hey, Sayaka!"

The pop star sat down just about as close to Makoto as she could get without being too obvious, setting her glass of water on the table in front of her. She'd been surprised when she said my name, but you couldn't tell. Sometimes, her facials were just as convincing as Celeste's. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they got up to some of the same stuff.

"How was your talk with Toko?"

Huh?

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Oh, sorry, I told her!"

Of course he did.

Sayaka smiled,

"I think it was very cool of you guys to have done that! I wish Kaito had asked me to come."

It's not like you would have made much of a difference…

"Although, I guess I wouldn't have made much of a difference, don't you think so, Kaede?"

Huh!?

Sayaka looked at me, a little mischief gleaming in her eyes, was this her intuition?

As if to confirm my suspicion, she gave me a playful wink before completely changing the subject.

"Hey, Makoto, I wanted to talk to you about something… in private." she cast me a quick, apologetic glance, "No offense or anything, Kaede! Just some personal stuff, you understand, right?"

Sensing I couldn't fight against Sayaka's carefully thought out tactics, I nodded,

"No yeah, I totally get it."

She smiled.

I smiled.

Makoto smiled.

Teruteru smi- wait, what?!

"Uhm, I so haaaate to interrupt your _beautiful_ moment," his voice dripped, whether with sarcasm or something _completely_ different, I didn't even want to know, "But, you see, it's almost nighttime and if I don't put your dishes in the dishwasher now, I'll have to wait a whole day before I can use them again!"

Makoto jumped up right away, unwittingly forcing Sayaka to back away a tad. He handed his dish to the chef.

"Right, sorry Teruteru! Dinner was great again, by the way!"

Teruteru grabbed the plate and cup and tilted his head to the side with an adoring expression.

"Oh really? Oh, you flatter me, Makoto, you just know how to push the right _buttons_ , eh?"

Oh god, as if I needed Teruteru in this mess. The chef added a sly wink directed at both me and Sayaka, I braced myself for the impact,

"I can see why you're so popular with the ladies, isn't that right, _Sayaka_? _Kaede_?"

Ohhh… he's onto us.

Sayaka, of course, picked up what Teruteru was putting down, we looked at each other, then, blushing, looked away. Makoto, bless his heart, didn't seem to notice anything, but reached for my plate, his face a foot away from mine, I could feel his breath just barely.

What the heck is going on?!

"You're done, right Kaede?"

"Huh, yeah…" Makoto took my dish and handed it to the chef. I turned to face him, something he'd said earlier was confusing me,

"Sorry Teruteru, random question, but what did you mean by not being able to use the dishes all day?"

The chef looked surprised by my question, admittedly, I don't really know what compelled me to ask. But he answered,

"It's ridiculous really. Everything else here is so state-of-the-art, y'know? Really gets my culinary spirits all hot and bothered! But that damn dishwasher is so old and slow, I just don't have any patience for it! So I want to put all the dishes away overnight, that way they're bright and clean by morning!"

Teruteru fumbled around in one of his apron pockets and pulled out what looked like a spreadsheet. I was impressed by how straight the hand drawn lines were, he showed it to me.

"See? There aren't that many dishes, so it's important that they're all washed, or else there won't be enough for everyone! Because of that, I gotta make sure everything is accounted for, and right now, _these_ dishes are all that's left, so please, hurry up!"

Wow, he was so passionate about his kitchen supplies that he forgot to throw in some sort of innuendo.

"I cannot stand a messy kitchen! I keep the mess for the bed!"

And he's back.

The three of us helped Teruteru load the dishes and check the list. After making sure everything was accounted for, he thanked us profusely and walked with us upstairs. We hadn't left the hotel yet when we saw the monitor flicker.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Well, we'd made it out of the kitchen, so we were fine.

The four of us parted ways and went to our own cottages. Though I swear I saw Makoto and Sayaka enter the same cabin… but maybe I was just letting my imagination run wild.

As I got ready for bed, I kept thinking about my meeting with Toko.

She looked distressed, but it felt like we almost got through to her. But, her tone shifted so suddenly. Like she was retracting a hand she'd extended for a shake after seeing how many germs were there. I wanted to be able to do something to help her, to help everybody. But I pushed those thoughts aside.

Tomorrow, Makoto, Mahiru, Kaito and I would just try again.

We would just keep trying until we finally got to her.

Because that's how we were going to get out of here. Together.

With Chopin's Nocturnes lullabying in the corners of my mind, I slowly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day! Now then. Let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!"

When I lifted my eyelids, my world felt blurry. Like someone had been shaking my camera lens. I barely had enough time to think and adjust my world view when my stomach began to groan.

I better head on over to the dining hall. Teruteru should be starting breakfast by now.

After getting ready, I walked outside, my head started to spin and I had to catch myself before I fell into the water.

"Whoa there, don't tell me I'm getting you to swoon over me already! I wasn't prepared to catch you!"

"Teruteru? Aren't you usually at the dining hall by now?"

The chef took out a comb and ran it through his quaff,

"Yes, well, I had a rather… unpleasant night."

"Oh? Are you okay?"

"It's nothing. I'd rather not shock you with the gross details!"

That's rich, coming from you.

"But, hey, I'm on my way now! Might as well accompany me, right? It might be awkward otherwise."

Made sense.

"Sure, couldn't hurt."

"Wonderful!" His pupils narrowed and I could see a trickle of blood emerge from his nose, "And if you should happen to fall, I won't hesitate to catch you and hold you tight like a bag of fresh, juicy, _melons_."

… I instantly regretted my decision.

* * *

After a relatively painless walk, Teruteru was kind enough to open the door to the hotel for me. We were lucky to have intercepted Nekomaru, who appeared to have just left the bathroom. When he saw us, he threw his arms open and spread a smile wider than my head.

"Kaede! Teruteru! Good morning! I just emptied my bowels after my morning run, so you better get ready to make a whole farm's worth of eggs today, Teruteru!"

The chef looked elated,

"Such large demands from a man with such large hands!"

Teruteru Hanamura: Ultimate Bicon.

The three of us walked downstairs and into the dining hall. I went to take a seat next to Nekomaru while Teruteru headed over to the kitchen. Nobody else was there yet. Not totally unusual, I'd gotten ready surprisingly fast. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. The lack of people in the room put me on edge. It made me think of the killing game, and how Monokuma wanted us to pick each other off one by one until-

"AAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!"

A blood curdling shriek pierced my eardrums.

That scream!? Was that… Teruteru?

I looked at Nekomaru, who looked back at me, and the two of us jumped to our feet and rushed over to the kitchen door. The door was slowly swinging close, the ultimate chef stood just in front of it, eyes wide, foam dripping from his mouth, he looked about ready to pass out.

"Teruteru! Are you alright?! Did something happen to you!?

After I asked that, Nekomaru grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him,

"Teruteru! Teruteru! What happened!"

"I-I don't think shaking him will help, Nekomaru!"

The team manager nodded and released the chef. He kept muttering to himself, I couldn't understand a word.

"Teruteru, please, what's wrong?!"

Muttering incoherently, he pointed a shaking finger to the kitchen door, which had stopped swinging. My heart sank. I didn't want to open that door. I didn't want to know what Teruteru saw.

But… I had no choice.

Nekomaru and I looked nervously at each other and nodded. Extending his arm and resting his hand on the door, Nekomaru gently pushed it open.

And that's when I saw _it._

*Ding dong bing bong*

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the **class trial** will begin!"

That's what Monokuma said over the televisions scattered all over the island. Only, I didn't hear him. I couldn't hear him. I was deafened by the rapid beating of my heart.

On the floor, right in front of me, lay the cold body of **Makoto Naegi**.

**Chapter One: Obsessive Compulsive Despair- Deadly Life.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you surprised? Are you sad? If the answer was yes to any of those questions, then you may be diagnosed with Despair.


	5. Obsessive Compulsive Despair: Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede investigates the death of Makoto Naegi.

My heart was racing, my head was pounding, I felt cold shivers circulating through my body like an icy electric current. My tongue felt numb, my mouth felt dry. My knees buckled under the weight of my emotions.

Makoto Naegi: The Ultimate Lucky Student, lay dead on the cold, sterile floor of the kitchen.

There were so many questions, so many emotions traveling so fast around my head that they cancelled each other out into a large dark blanket; a void of utter disbelief.

I hadn't known him longer than three days, but it felt like a lifetime. He was a sweet, caring, gentle, noble young man, with so much potential he never got the chance to see in himself. It was sickening to see someone who's life had been so warm and open now drained of that life and left in this cold, broken shell.

I felt tears streaming down my eyes. I slowly allowed my knees to give in as I knelt by his body, I reached out to touch his body, but suddenly closed my hand and pulled it close to my chest. I couldn't bear the thought of touching him like this.

Teruteru continued muttering to himself, I didn't have the will anymore to help him recover. Nekomaru grabbed a glass of water and led the chef to a table. I would've joined them, but I didn't want to leave Makoto alone. Not like this.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive. When they did, most of their reactions were the same.

"Tch- damn it!" Mondo swore with his fist clenched.

"Ah! No! Why?!" Sonia gasped, hand covering her heart.

Mahiru knelt beside me, placing a comforting arm around my shoulders. I could see in her eyes the look of fear and confusion swirling around in her eyes.

As heartbreaking it was to hear a new person react to Makoto's corpse, nothing prepared me for the soul crushing wail that leaped out of the mouth of Sayaka Maizono.

Pushing past the crowd already gathered at the door, the pop idol threw herself on top of Makoto and sobbed into his body. It was not a pretty picture in the slightest. Her sobs were interrupted only by the briefest moments where her body forced her to take a breath. She was crying so bad she started slurring her words, to the point I could barely make out what she was trying to say.

"T-thisisa-ll-mmmy, guh, f-f-fault!"

Then _he_ showed up.

"Can somebody remove her? She's going to tamper with the crime scene."

Byakuya Togami had a lot of nerve to say that, especially given the close proximity he was to Mondo and Kaito's fists. Through my teary eyes and my scowl, I watched as the biker's fists began to quake. His eyes spread about as wide as they could, his fangs glistened due to the saliva forced out by his raging growl,

"You wanna show some goddamn respect, asshole?! This chick just lost her closest damn friend!"

The scion faced him, unflinching, "I'm aware, plankton, therefore it would be best that we solve the case and find the person responsible. We can't do that with her all over him, can we?"

"Call me plankton one more _fucking_ time!"

"Hey, that's enough."

A voice we were largely unfamiliar with cut through the room. All heads turned to see Mukuro Ikusaba standing stoically behind the unfolding scene. Calmly, she brushed past Hiro and Kaito and stared Mondo straight in the eye, like her gaze was made out of sharp steel.

"Byakuya is right, we need to investigate the body and find the culprit, otherwise we're all in danger." Turning to Byakuya, she added, "But there's no need to be so cold about it. Let her mourn the death of her comrade."

Byakuya said nothing, but stepped into the kitchen and hovered a little ways away from the body, waiting for Sayaka to be done. Mukuro turned her steely gaze towards me.

"Kaede, talk to Sayaka."

Huh? Talk to her?

"Why me?"

"You both were close to the deceased, correct? We need to start the investigation, and we can't do that with her covering him up. If she'll listen to anyone, she'll listen to you."

I'm not too sure about that.

But I wasn't going to argue, not with everyone else staring at me. Mahiru gave me an encouraging nod, before I scooted forward, placing my hand gently on Sayaka's shoulder.

"Sayaka?"

The pop idol sniffled, winding down enough to turn her face to meet me. Her tears couldn't stop the daggers she'd shot into my eyes,

"What?"

This wasn't going to be easy.

"Sayaka, I need you to let go of Makoto, so we can find out who did this-"

"You want me to let go so you can have him all to yourself! I know what you're trying to do!" I was not expecting that reaction, but now her tears were fading away, and a look of anger and jealousy turned her blue eyes nearly blazing red, "Ever since we got here, you're always trying to come between us! Why? Why do you _hate_ me? Why do you care so much that we're friends?" The fire began to be overwhelmed by the tempest welling up, "You w-wanted to take h-him away from me… well now, he's gone forever!" Flame extinguished, the waves came crashing down again as her grief for Makoto edged out her disgust for me. What she said hurt, and I realized I had a lot to process after this. But it was for _after_ this. Right _now_ , we needed to find who did this.

"Sayaka, listen to me. I know that we got off on the wrong foot, But Makoto wouldn't want us to be fighting. I know it, he told me how much he wanted us to be friends!" I took a moment to look back at the crowd of teenagers watching me, "All of us! He wanted for all of us to get along and escape together!" Turning back to Sayaka, I added, "Please, Sayaka, we need to find out who did this to him. If we don't, then he would've died for nothing."

I could feel the reluctance in Sayaka's movements. But I could see the realization dawning in her eyes, parting the clouds of the storm that just raged through them. With a slight hiccup, she nodded, standing up, and stepping back. Mahiru and I stood up as well, with the photographer escorting the singer out of the kitchen and to the table where Nekomaru was still calming down Teruteru.

Sonia released a sigh, "I am afraid I cannot be much help in investigating this case. Please allow me to remove myself from your way."

Kazuichi watched the princess move, and absentmindedly began moving with her, Kaito stopped him.

"Whoa there, sidekick, where do you think you're going? We gotta find the bastard who did this!"

Kaito grabbed the mechanic by the arm and took him into the kitchen, a determined look on his face. He stopped and turned to face me, placing his free arm on my shoulder,

"I'll need your help too, okay Kaede? For Makoto."

I nodded.

"For Makoto."

Kaito nodded.

"Alright! ...Now what do we do?"

Seriously?

"Why, you examine the body of course!"

That high-pitched, over-excited, giggling voice boiled my blood, and before I could process why, I came face-to-face with Monokuma.

"Oh? So I guess he wasn't so lucky after all, huh?" He placed his hands to his mouth, "Upupupupu, too bad he didn't stick around, huh Kaede? I was hoping to see some girl on guy on girl action! I can just hear the angry voices of the shippers who'll never get to set sail! Upupupu, such _despair_!"

"You're sick, you know that?"

Monokuma ignored me and kept laughing, stoking the flames burning brightly in Mondo's belly.

"Did you seriously come here just to say that? You want my fist through your fucking skull?"

"Ohhhhh? I'd like to see you try, cornbread!"

"The _fuck_ did you just call me?"

"You heard me! Get ready for me to butter up your cornbread baby!"

"Gahhhh!"

Mondo's fist flew straight for Monokuma's face before anyone had the chance to say anything to calm him down. Time slowed down as I watched in horror, realizing what would happen the moment the biker's fist came into contact with our animatronic antagonist.

There was a blur of flashing light, and before I even had a chance to blink, Mondo was kneeling on the floor, crying out in pain, clutching his hand. I rushed to his side, as did Kaito and Kazuichi, and we realized there was a moderate sized gash across his knuckles. Clattering just beyond us, what looked like an army dagger.

I turned and saw Mukuro Ikusaba in a pose that all but confirmed she'd thrown a knife at Mondo's fist before it touched Monokuma. The bear heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Oh! My savior! For a minute there, I thought I was toast prepared to get spread by his big, beefy hands!" He looked at one of the monitors and giggled, "Upupu, but I guess you could say that Mondo has _butter_ fingers!"

That was weird.

The biker got to his feet and roared, "Mukuro! What the hell? You threw a fuckin' knife at my hand!"

"Better your hand than your life. You need to calm down."

Mondo gnashed his teeth to hold his tongue. "Hiro, get me a bandage."

"No need. I threw the knife, I'll heal your wound. Come with me."

Mukuro led Mondo away from the kitchen, turning to Monokuma just before she left.

"Make yourself useful and give them what you came for."

The soldier and the biker left. The psychotic teddy bear chuckled,

"Oh! That's right! As a special treat for finding a body, I'm giving you access to this beautiful, wonderful, state-of-the-art **Monokuma File**! Please, take full advantage of it, it might come in handy when solving the case! Or not! Upupupupu!"

With that, he left.

* * *

**Investigation Begin**

Kaito wasted no time.

"Alright, let's take a look at that file, shall we?"

I nodded, opening my e-handbook and scrolling to the tab marked 'Evidence' which showed that there was one notification: The Monokuma File. I clicked on it.

**Monokuma File #1: The victim is Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. Makoto was 160 cm tall and weighed around 52 kg. The cause of death was a deep stab to the back of the head; he died instantly. The time of death was around 11:53 pm. The victim also suffered a few bruises to the head and chest, punctures in both wrists, and minor lacerations on his arms.**

I quickly glanced between the body and the file. I furrowed my brows, something seemed off.

I knelt beside Kazuichi and Korekiyo, who were intently studying the body already. Korekiyo confirmed my suspicions.

"Hmm? The body seems to be rather… clean for someone who suffered so many wounds. That is odd, wouldn't you say?"

I nodded, Kazuichi assented, "I'm not used to bodies, but I've been in a couple fights. Wounds might dry up, but scars wouldn't start forming so quickly, unless…"

 **Clean Body** was added to my evidence page.

I stood up and was approached by the astronaut,

"Did you figure out what may have caused those wounds?"

Byakuya answered,

"You can easily make that inference. Look at where we're standing, tell me, what do you find in kitchens?"

"Kehehe… I suppose you want us to say knives?"

"You would suppose correctly."

Kazuichi scratched his head,

"But, where's the knife that did this, then?"

"Perhaps the killer washed it and put it away. That's likely what happened. Which would mean, there is a certain _someone_ that jumps straight to the top of our interrogation list, wouldn't you agree?"

The ultimate chef: Teruteru Hanamura.

Kaito, Kazuichi, Hiro, Celeste, Korekiyo, and Toko all moved to find Teruteru in the dining hall. I tried to follow them, but felt a hand grabbing my arm and pulling me back. A shiver went down my spine as I felt hot breath tickling my ear,

"Check the body again."

I turned to find Byakuya taking a step back and presenting the body to me. With a cold look on his face, he nodded for me to step forward and examine the body one more time.

"What am I looking for, exactly?"

"Anything that would indicate the murderer's identity: a note, a trinket, _hair_."

Taking the hint, I started looking for hair that wasn't Makoto's. All I found were strands of blue, presumably from when Sayaka had lept on top of the body minutes ago.

"Nothing sticks out, only Sayaka's hair, but that's from earlier-"

"Check his fists. Rigor mortis has set in. If there's hair wrapped around his fingers, it had to have been before the body discovery announcement."

Hating myself for taking orders from the heartless scion, I reluctantly obeyed.

Huh?! Is that?

"Sayaka's hair?"

"You're sure it's not from her emotional display?"

Shocked, I nodded.

"Yeah, like you said… it's wrapped around his fingers."

"Hmm, I see. Very _interesting_."

 **Sayaka's Hair** was added to my evidence page.

* * *

When I joined the others in the dining hall, Teruteru was already giving some sort of testimony to Celeste and Korekiyo, who seemed to be especially pushing him.

"So you do not have an alibi? That seems rather incriminating, no?"

"C-come on! The murder happened at nighttime, right? Who has an alibi for being alone in their rooms!?"

"Kehehe… still, you have to admit, finding him in the kitchen is rather… suspicious?"

"But then again, assuming Teruteru did it because Makoto was in the kitchen is a pretty weak claim, right?"

A pretty insightful remark from the astronaut. Celeste pressed forward,

"The murder weapon must have been one of the knives, yes? That would make sense, since he was killed in the kitchen. Who else knows the kitchen inventory better than the ultimate cook?"

"I would prefer it if you w-would call me the ultimate _chef_ , Celestia!"

"I would rather you call me _Celeste_."

Wait… there might be something there…

"Celeste, you mentioned an inventory, right?"

The gambler nodded and I turned to face the chef,

"Teruteru, remember your spreadsheet? Do you think we could be able to determine the weapon off of that?!"

Teruteru gasped, "Why, yes! We could!"

Teruteru led us back to the kitchen, spreadsheet in hand, avoiding the body and making a beeline for the dishes.

"The murder weapon would have been a knife, yes? But that's impossible, because I know all of the knives were he- huh!?"

"What's wrong, Teruteru?"

"N-no, this can't be… there's a **knife missing**!? But, I made sure that-"

"Made sure that you hid it away after the murder?"

Byakuya stepped forward, putting himself at odds against the cowering chef.

"I wouldn't be so quick to make accusations, Byakuya."

Mukuro Ikusaba walked in with Mondo Oowada, who was rubbing his bandaged hand. The soldier fixated cooly on the scion, whose staring contest grew so intense it made me blink. Finally, without looking behind, she gave a stern order,

"Mondo, Nekomaru, watch the crime scene."

As the two larger men complied, Byakuya and Mukuro remained glaring at one another, I couldn't tell if they were trying to analyze or intimidate each other.

"Teruteru, you mentioned a missing knife?"

The chef nodded, dumbfounded. "Y-yes…"

"That's a clue."

 **Missing knife** was added to my evidence page.

"That inventory too."

 **Kitchen Inventory** was added to my evidence page.

"And Teruteru?"

"Y-yes, Mukuro?"

"Get a glass of water and sit back down. If anyone tries to bother you, you come find me."

The chef, clearly confused, didn't choose to argue, but complied with what Mukuro told him. Before long, he'd gone back outside. Byakuya remained perfectly still, but I couldn't help but feel there was something boiling beneath his icy veneer. Was he hiding something? Did Mukuro know what? As if on cue, the scion moved to leave, but the soldier held out her hand, stopping him.

"Give it to me, Byakuya."

There was a small glint of fear in his eyes. Was that real? Am I making that up? I don't know, I'm not the best at reading people.

"I don't know what you're-"

"The case file, for Genocider Syo. I want to see it."

There was a long, awkward pause. Finally, Byakuya turned and started walking out.

"Fine, it's in my room." He stopped at the door and faced Mukuro again, "Aren't you coming?"

The soldier shook her head, "No, but Kaede and Korekiyo are."

Huh? We are?!

"Hmm? When did we decide that?"

"Just now. Go."

The anthropologist turned to me, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes,

"Kehehe… I see. So we finally get to take a peek at that case file... I've been waiting…"

Really? Because I haven't…

* * *

When Byakuya got to his door, he stopped. With a sharp glare, he turned around to face Korekiyo and I.

"Listen, I only agreed to this because I can somewhat _tolerate_ the both of you. But I swear, you better not touch _anything_ or I will no longer be so sympathetic to either of you. Understood?"

Wait, so this was him being 'sympathetic'?

We gave our non-verbal assent and the scion opened his door.

The inside of Byakuya Togami's cabin was remarkably similar to the inside of my cabin, except with less emphasis on piano and classical music. There were a few more books than I had, scattered around the room, but other than that, they were virtually the same. He walked us over to his desk and picked up a full manilla folder.

The Genocider Syo Case File.

"I don't understand why she wants us to look at this thing. There's clearly no relation."

"Really? What makes you so sure?"

Korekiyo answered for Byakuya,

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe it has something to do with the manner in which Genocider Syo's victims are… taken care of, correct?"

Byakuya nodded,

"Admittedly, Makoto's profile fits that of the average Genocider victim, 'young', 'male'... 'not ugly'. But that's about all we got. See?"

I took a look at the case file, and immediately wished I hadn't. The pictures were so graphic and gruesome I didn't even want to think about describing them… they were awful.

But, I did see what they were talking about.

That was important.

 **Genocider Syo Case File** has been added to my evidence page.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaito Mamota**

Once Kaede, Korekiyo, and Byakuya left, Mukuro turned to the remaining four of us, not including Nekomaru and Mondo, and gave her next orders.

"Kaito, can you fill me in on everything you've found so far?"

"Of course I can!"

I filled her in on everything we'd found so far.

Mukuro listened patiently and intently. The fact that she chose me to tell her proved nothing less than she saw me as in a major leadership position. If she could see that, why was it so hard for everyone else?

"Very well. I will need your help in this next part."

I saluted, "Whatever you say, captain!"

"Don't call me that. I'm a corporal."

"Oh, my bad!"

Mukuro ignored my apology and popped a squat by Makoto's corpse, scratching her chin in thought. I followed her, dragging Kazuichi along with me, so that we were standing just above Makoto. Celeste, who I had nearly forgotten was still in the room, cocked her head to the side.

"Observing the body again, hm? I do not think it will give any more clues than we've already found."

Hiro, who was also still here, whipped out a crystal ball,

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Celeste, I can say with 30% accuracy that this investigation is far from over!"

Kazuichi was unimpressed, "You need a crystal ball to tell you that?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that 30% is 3 times the power of 10%!"

"That doesn't change anything!"

"That changes _everything_!"

"Kaito, tell them to shut up."

I was starting to think that Mukuro was treating me less like a hero and more like _her_ sidekick. We'd need to have a serious talk about that later. But for now, there were more important matters at hand.

"Hey, Kazuu, Hiro, shut up! We're trying to focus!"

The mechanic and the clairvoyant retreated, but I made sure to give them an encouraging smile to keep their spirits up. Kazuu returned the gesture with a reassured smile, while Hiro continued to consult his crystal ball in silence.

"Kaito, you told me the body was found here, exactly like this, right?"

I looked at the soldier with a nod,

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Given the position of his body and the angle of the incision, it would be safe to assume that he was attacked from behind, right?"

I took a look at the body. Makoto lay crumpled on his side, like he'd fallen.

"It almost looks like he was tripped and that he curled up in a fetal position to protect himself from getting kicked or something, wouldn't you agree?"

"I mean, I guess?"

"What are you suggesting?"

Mukuro turned to look at the gambler.

"I'm saying, if the killing blow was in his neck, why isn't he flat on his stomach, but on his side? And why is he curled up in that position if he died instantly?"

"Perhaps your assessment of how the body went down is inaccurate?"

"No."

"Care to elaborate further?"

"No."

Celeste chuckled with patient amusement,

"My my, much help you're turning out to be."

Kazuichi scratched his head,

"Is the way his body's positioned really that important?"

Mukuro stood up and shrugged, dusting off her skirt,

"Who can say. Time will tell."

 **Position of the Body** was added to my evidence tab.

"I think we're done here."

Before anyone could say anything, Mukuro walked nonchalantly out the door, followed by Celeste, leaving Kazuu, Hiro, and I alone with the corpse.

So this was gonna be it, then. Mukuro was going to swagger on in here like some sort of hero and then refuse to save the day? How was she helping anyone by keeping her discovery to herself? That was starting to boil my water, I wanted to feel more useful.

Kazuu coughed,

"Uh, I think I'm gonna go check up on Miss Sonia-"

"Oh, hey, she's like, super rich, right?"

The mechanic eyed the clairvoyant skeptically,

"She's a princess…?"

Hiro beamed,

"Aha! Then I should tell her her fortune! She probably wants to know how to get out of an arranged marriage or something!"

"A-arranged marriage? You mean, she's already engaged!?"

I needed to calm their engines,

"Whoa there, we can go see Princess Sony, but you both gotta make sure you're on your best behaviors!"

"Of course!" they asserted in an unconvincing unison.

"That means, nothing creepy and nothing scammy, got it?"

"..."

"Don't make me get Mondo in here-"

With precise timing, the biker slid into the room cracking his knuckles.

"What's up? These guys bein' punks?"

"Yeah, we got it!"

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

Korekiyo, Byakuya, and I stepped into the dining hall to discover everyone except for Mondo and Nekomaru were gathered around the tables. It appeared as though Teruteru had calmed down, as well as Sayaka, both of whom were prime suspects in this case. Both of whom had the strongest reactions to seeing the body. That couldn't have been the reaction of seeing a body for a second time, right?

Or maybe, that's exactly the kind of reaction to expect from a murderer.

I also glanced at Toko, who apparently was Genocider Syo. It was highly unlikely that she did it, Makoto's body looked nothing like the bodies… in _that_ file. But still, she was highly likely to be suspected, in fact, most eyes were on her. It was all thanks to that unwelcome reveal from Byakuya putting everyone on edge. But his initial plan had been to get Toko killed, right? But that hadn't worked. Instead, it was…

What am I doing? What am I thinking? Can one of us really be Makoto's killer?

I took another look at Teruteru and Sayaka. Neither one of them came across as people who would ever even _plan_ to kill someone, let alone actually do it. And Toko was no murderer either, even if Genocider Syo existed as part of her personality. Nobody, not even Byakuya, not even _Mukuro_ struck me as the kind of person who would murder someone in a situation like this or at all. Mukuro being a soldier aside, I couldn't believe that she would kill Makoto, of all people.

But, as much as I didn't _want_ to believe it, I _knew_ it was true.

And I have to fight for the _truth_. Even if it is frightening.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Ahem, attention to all students! Please make your way to Monokuma Rock on the central island! The **class trial** is about to begin!"

The monitor fizzled out.

Monokuma Rock?

"What the fuck is he talkin' about?"

"That giant mountain with four Monokuma heads carved on the side of it! Y'know, that thing that looks kinda like Mount Rushmore?"

Hiro was met with blank stares.

"Wait… you mean, I'm the only one who noticed that? C'mon, I thought it was pretty obvious!"

* * *

Sure enough, Hiro led us to the central island, where that exact mountain stood before our very eyes. We all stared in utter amazement.

What?

"The fuck?!"

Mahiru nudged Mondo,

"You need to tone it down with the language, Mondo!"

"What exactly are we doing here?"

Kaito tried to sound more confident than Kazuichi, but his answer didn't help inspire any,

"We're waiting for something to happen!"

Celeste twirled a lock of her hair,

"Well, we're all here. He sure is taking his sweet time."

Sonia's head tilted to the side, a look of confusion in her eyes,

"I do not understand, I was led to believe that this monument bore the heads of American presidents? But it is just four Monokumas?"

Yeah, I don't think you know what you're looking at…

"That's not _just_ four Monokumas! Those are the Founding Papakumas!"

That high pitched giggle filled our eardrums, and my chest began to swell. I had a difficult time mustering up hatred, but that stupid bear was doing a really good job of bringing out my worst feelings. I wanted to hurt him so bad, for what he did to us; what he did to Makoto.

"Now, witness, the mighty power of suspension of disbelief!"

And just as I suspended my disbelief, the mouth of one of the Monoheads opened up and spat out a giant escalator, which sent the steps ascending into the literal belly of the beast.

"Climb aboard, children, the class trial awaits!"

One by one, with great hesitation, we each stepped onto the escalator, and were slowly pulled closer and closer, until we were consumed by the mountain. Upon entering the cave, we were deposited upon a large, circular floor that began to rattle and descend once thirty feet were planted on the floor.

Descending. Slowly. Closer to finding the truth of who did this. Who forced us to come here. I looked at each of my classmates, knowing in my gut that we were all suspects:

Byakuya Togami

Mukuro Ikusaba

Teruteru Hanamura

Toko Fukawa

Sonia Nevermind

Kazuichi Soda

Sayaka Maizono

Korekiyo Shinguji

Mahiru Koizumi

Celestia Ludenberg

Kaito Mamota

Yasuhiro Hagakure

Mondo Oowada

Nekomaru Nidai

And even me, Kaede Akamatsu.

The fifteen of us were trapped on this terrible island, in this terrible situation, in which one of us committed a terrible act. And it was up to the fourteen of us who didn't do it to find the one who did and put an end to this killing game, before we were forced to take more lives.

It was a trial to weed out the truth from the lies.

A trial to rescue our hope from the jaws of despair.

A trial for the death of Makoto Naegi, and the lives of us all.

A trial that we _would_ overcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the inactivity for the past week or so, I got swept up in updating my other stories on Fanfiction. I'm still getting used to this platform, so I may tinker around every now and then with some things.
> 
> So, who do you think the killer is? It may or may not be as surprising as you think...


	6. Obsessive Compulsive Despair: Deadly Life- Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede and the gang tries to figure out who killed Lucky Boy Makoto.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the sight of an ornate, circular room with a carousel of 16 stands facing each other. There was a large, almost throne-like chair at the front of those stands, I could only assume was where Monokuma would sit.

Confirming my suspicions, the teddy bear reappeared sitting atop that cushion and giggled,

"Please find your assigned stand and stay there for the duration of the trial!"

When we did, the layout of the room looked like this: If Monokuma was facing forward, you would find Yasuhiro Hagakure to his immediate front-left, moving leftward from him stood Mahiru Koizumi, Byakuya Togami, Celestia Ludenberg, me, Toko Fukawa, and Kaito Momota. To the direct left of Kaito stood nobody, but rather, a black and white memorial picture of Makoto Naegi, with a disgusting red X hastily drawn across his face, reminding us all why we were here. Making matters worse, directly left of Naegi's portrait was Sayaka Maizono, who gave one glance at the portrait and suddenly couldn't look right anymore. Continuing left of Sayaka, stood Korekiyo Shinguji, Mukuro Ikusaba, Nekomaru Nidai, Sonia Nevermind, Teruteru Hanamura, Mondo Oowada, and finally, Kazuichi Soda, standing just right of Monokuma.

When we had taken our seats, Monokuma carried on as cheerful as ever.

"Now then, let's begin with a simple explanation of the class trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit.' If you vote correctly, then only the blackened will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person… I'll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and that person will earn the right to leave this island!"

Kazuichi chimed up with a bit of a nervous cough,

"Uh, so, where do we start?"

Byakuya guffawed,

"It's a murder, we start by naming our suspects."

Scratching his head, Kazuichi continued,

"Oh, right. Then, uh, who should we say-"

Before the mechanic could finish, he was interrupted by a forceful Sayaka,

"The killer is obvious!"

"Huh? Really? Who did it?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, she pointed at her obvious killer,

"Teruteru! He killed Makoto!"

The chef was livid,

"Wha- b-but, no, it wasn't me! I-"

"Well, you definitely are a prime suspect, Teruteru."

"B-Byakuya?"

The scion ignored the chef and pointed to the idol,

"But as are you, Sayaka."

"H-Huh? M-Me?" Her voice started out as frail and delicate, almost thrown off balance, before doubling down on her anger, "How dare you accuse me of murdering my friend! I would never!"

The scion had none of it, "Oh, I wouldn't be too hasty with that declaration. There is a pretty damning piece of evidence, after all."

Damning piece of evidence?

Monokuma chirped in, "Oh, wait, WAIT! Let me just-"

Monokuma: There we go! Please proceed!

* * *

**Nonstop Debate.**

**Evidence:**

**Sayaka's Hair**

**Genocider Syo Case File**

**Monokuma File #1**

Yasuhiro: Wait, so we're saying Sayaka's the killer? How'd we get to that conclusion?

Mahiru: To accuse Sayaka, Makoto's closest friend, that's just wrong!

Sayaka: It's sick and twisted! How could you even consider me **without any evidence**. ( **Sayaka's Hair** )

Kazuichi: That's just pointing fingers at anyone, right?

Nekomaru: I can do that! Watch me! I say it was you!

Kazuichi: Huh! Why are you pointing at me?!

Kaede: No, that's wrong!

* * *

"Actually, Sayaka, there might be something we can point to as making you a possible suspect."

My heart dropped when the idol's watery eyes directed their wrath at me, but I had to continue,

"I'm not saying it's conclusive, but we have to consider that your hair was found on the body."

"M-my hair?"

Surprisingly, Korekiyo was the one who swooped down to her defense,

"Finding her hair on the body is hardly surprising. Did you forget how she reacted to the body? Throwing herself onto him like that, surely a couple strands would have fallen."

No, there was something specific that stood out, where the hair was positioned…

* * *

Makoto's Chest

Makoto's Neck

**Makoto's Fingers**

That's it!

* * *

"You're right, Kiyo, we should expect Sayaka's hair to be on the body because of her reaction to seeing him. But, we _wouldn't_ expect clumps of her hair wrapped around his fingers, right? Because of rigor mortis, his fists were balled up when we found him, there's no way her hair would've wrapped around so easily."

Celeste played with a strand of her own hair, "So, what you are saying is that Sayaka must have come in contact with Makoto before he died, yes?"

Hiro stroked his chin. "That makes sense… so, Sayaka is the killer?"

It took a surprising while, but Kaito finally jumped into the conversation, "Hold on just a minute! How do we know someone didn't just plant Sayaka's hair in Makoto's hand?"

Huh? Plant it?

Byakuya grimaced, "You finally open your mouth and _this_ is what you say?"

Mukuro also took the opportunity to jump in, "Rigor mortis usually takes 3-4 hours to set in, so there was plenty of time for that to be a possibility."

Kazuichi scratched his head, "But, then, wouldn't they have had to go into Sayaka's room at nighttime? How would they manage to do that without alerting Sayaka?"

Eyes turned to the idol, who seemed to crack under their strain, "I-I don't know, it couldn't h-happen…"

Celeste inquired harshly, "So then, you are admitting that it is impossible for anyone else to have wrapped your hair around Makoto's fingers? Do you know that that implicates you further?"

Sayaka hesitated. Fidgeting with her clothes and avoiding eye contact, she finally stammered out, "It _may_ have been possible… because Makoto and I… **Makoto and I switched rooms**."

The room went silent as Sayaka dropped that bombshell. Sayaka and Makoto switched rooms? Was that even allowed? Sonia, who was one of the last three people yet to talk, echoed my question,

"A boy and a girl, switching rooms? Is that even possible?"

Monokuma cheered, "It's totally possible! What goes on outside the cabins is my business, what goes on _inside_ the cabins… welllll, that's _your_ business!"

Before Teruteru could make a suggestive comment, Mukuro walked through out loud what Monokuma meant, "So what you're saying is it doesn't matter whose room we sleep in? Only that we sleep in a room?"

Monokuma cheered, "Ding ding ding! Winner winner, salmon dinner!"

Korekiyo considered the new rule clarification, "So then, how can we prove you're telling the truth?"

Sayaka pulled out a key, "This is Makoto's room key. My key should be on his body…"

"But if you're the killer, couldn't you just have taken his room key and pretended to switch rooms to cover for yourself now?"

Sayaka looked weakly at Celeste, who seemed to be rather enjoying grilling the idol. Kazuichi intervened,

"But, can't the same be said of the opposite? That the killer found Sayaka's room key and hid it?"

Mukuro thought carefully, "It seems we've reached an impasse, I doubt we can prove anything further on this front without following another thread."

The second to last person to speak up was Mondo, "Uh, okay… so what're we lookin' at now?"

Mukuro responded, "I happen to find the condition of the body very suspicious. If you recall the points at which Makoto was injured, there would have been a lot of blood on the body."

"But it was washed clean, right?" Mukuro nodded to confirm Mahiru's question.

"And the only water that works at nighttime," Byakuya started, "Is in the kitchen, where Makoto's body was found."

Mondo tried to follow, but I could tell he was struggling, "Uh, right… so then…?"

Byakuya asserted, "Teruteru, care to explain yourself?"

The chef gasped, "E-explain? Explain what?"

"Why the kitchen and the body were so clean despite the bloody murder of Makoto Naegi?"

"Whaaaaattttt!?"

* * *

**Nonstop Debate**

**Evidence:**

**Missing Knife**

**Kitchen Inventory**

**Clean Body**

Teruteru: You think I did it? Why would I kill someone in my own kitchen? Why would I kill anyone at all!?

Byakuya: Never mind why you would, let's focus on how you could.

Yasuhiro: Oh yeah! That totally makes sense!

Mondo: Wait, what? I don't get it, what's going on?

Kazuichi: Nobody's even said anything yet…

Toko: I s-see now, Teruteru must've k-killed Makoto!

Kaito: We can't just go around accusing people without any evidence!

Nekomaru: Absolutely not, this is ridiculous because **there is no weapon to determine who could've killed Makoto!** ( **Missing Knife** )

Kaito: Right, and with no murder weapon, there's now way to determine how anyone could have!

Kaede: Wait, I got it!

* * *

"You're right, Nekomaru, there _wasn't_ a murder weapon. Which makes it even more obvious that the killer would have hidden it, because they knew it would've given them away!"

Nekomaru looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the missing knife."

Teruteru sputtered, "M-Missing k-knife!? How could there be a missing knife!?"

Toko seized the opportunity, "B-Because you obviously h-hid it somewhere! Because y-you're the killer!"

Byakuya asserted, "So there we have it. It's all becoming clear now: Teruteru must have used one of the kitchen knives, killed Makoto, cleaned up the crime scene and pocketed the evidence."

Celeste nodded in agreement, "So then, he must have found Sayaka's room key on Makoto's body, and used it to plant evidence that Sayaka was the killer."

Mahiru sighed, "I bet that wasn't all he did in Sayaka's room."

Teruteru was beyond expression, "How can you so calmly accuse me!? I didn't do it! I'm innocent as a baby!"

Well, calling Teruteru innocent may be a stretch, but still, maybe he _didn't_ do it? Could there be another explanation?

"Have you forgotten one crucial detail?"

Eyes turned to Mukuro, who stood with her arms crossed and a stoic look on her face. Kiyo's voice hissed out of his mask,

"Oh? What might that be?"

" **The nighttime rule**." She said it with such conviction, as though that cleared up everything. Some people didn't make the connection right away,

"Nighttime rule?" Mondo quickly looked to the side, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who wanted to glare at him for forgetting the nighttime rule. In truth, we all seemed to have forgotten it.

Mukuro explained, "Every night, Monokuma announces nighttime at 10:00 pm. After announcing nighttime, he declares that the kitchen will be off limits until morning."

Realization dawned on all of us, even Mondo picked up on it,

"So, you're saying… then there's no way Teruteru could have done all that shit!"

"That is correct. According to the Monokuma File, Naegi was murdered at roughly 11:50 pm."

Kazuichi exclaimed, "That's almost two hours after nighttime was already in play!"

Hiro shrugged, "Well, maybe Makoto was actually killed before nighttime? And the Monokuma file is wrong?"

No, even if that were true, that couldn't be possible because…

* * *

Monokuma says so!

 **There were witnesses**.

The nighttime rule is actually wrong.

That's it!

* * *

"Even if the Monokuma file messed up the time of death, Makoto definitely was killed during nighttime. Because I was with him when the announcement came on! In fact, so were… Teruteru _and_ Sayaka!"

I could almost feel the sigh of relief coming from the chef and the idol when I vouched for them. But I knew they weren't out of the woods yet.

Byakuya would not relent so easily, "Hold on, you mean to tell me that the murder _didn't_ happen in the kitchen? How do you explain that?"

Celeste supported him, "That would be a stretch, the only water that works is in the kitchen. It all seems to make sense-"

"Actually, on the contrary." Mukuro didn't let Celeste finish, nor did she allow Byakuya to cut her off, "You make a point that the only way the body could have been cleaned up is for the water, which only runs in the kitchen during nighttime, to have been used. But I believe that is just a red herring, to make us believe that the murder had to have taken place in the kitchen."

Sonia chimed up, "But, I do not understand… how could the murder _not_ have taken place in the kitchen?"

Byakuya sneered, "You can't possibly prove that!"

Mukuro retaliated, "Actually, I can. There is a major clue hidden within the body itself, right Momota?"

All eyes turned to Kaito, who began rubbing his chin thoughtfully,

"I guess you're talkin' about the **position of the body** , right?"

Position of the body?

Byakuya guffawed, "What does that have anything to do with this?"

Kaito continued, "I didn't know myself at first, but Corporal thought it seemed important and I think I get it… we know how Makoto died, right?"

Kiyo nodded, "Correct. The Monokuma file stated the fatal blow was a stab to the back of the neck."

"That wouldn't be important, unless you also consider that he died instantly. Meaning, he had no autonomy left in his body. He would have just collapsed as he was attacked, right?"

Mahiru thought about it, "I can see that logic…"

"However, the body was found on his side, not his front. If he was stabbed from behind, he would've fallen face forward, and if he died instantly, he couldn't have moved himself into that position!"

Kazuichi picked up, "So, then, the body was moved?"

Mukuro nodded, "Exactly."

Celeste considered this, "So he wouldn't have to have been killed in the kitchen…"

Mondo scratched the back of his neck, "Okay, but how would he have gotten the body into the kitchen during nighttime? Doesn't that rule still apply?"

Korekiyo answered, "Perhaps, a dead body could be allowed into the dining hall, but I do not see how a living person could have placed him there."

Hiro pointed his finger assertively, "I got it! You're saying it was a _dead person_ who put Makoto in the kitchen!"

As the clairvoyant said that, he recoiled significantly with a shiver, "W-Wait...g-ghosts?!"

Kaito and Kazuichi seemed deeply affected by the suggestion as well, "Shut up! T-There's no such thing! Don't be naive!"

Kiyo's eyes lit up with curiosity as he tenderly rubbed his cheek, "Oh? You don't believe in ghosts? What a shame, you are both men of science, are you not?"

The mechanic scowled and snapped back, "S-Shut up! Science has got nothing to do with this!"

Byakuya cut in with a scoff, "Can we please keep the mindless chatter to a minimum? We've got a trial to conduct."

Kiyo bowed in apology, while Kazuichi and Hiro looked around nervously. Taking a deep breath, Kaito returned to his previous point, "A-Anyway...Like you said about about how a living person couldn't have entered the kitchen, that made me realize something. If the culprit wanted to hide the body, why go to the one place they couldn't enter?"

Teruteru huffed, "Obviously so they could frame me!"

Mahiru whipped out her chastising finger, "Hey, everything isn't just about you!"

I chimed in, "But he has a point. The culprit seems to have done the harder thing by going out of their way to deliberately plant the body in the kitchen instead of keeping it where the murder happened, or moving it somewhere less obvious. They knew we would immediately suspect Teruteru!"

"Which means, Teruteru-"

"Is likely _not_ the culprit."

Hiro nodded as Mukuro finished his sentence. The soldier wasn't finished with her conclusion,

"The position of Naegi's body also indicates that he was carried by the culprit to the kitchen, and, because the culprit was alive and thus could not enter the kitchen, they simply threw the body as far as they could into the room."

Kazuichi nodded, "That's why the body was sprawled like that!"

Kaito pointed out, "And also why the body was so close to the door!"

Byakuya absorbed the information and spewed out a new theory, "So with that, we might be able to cross Teruteru off the list…however, that brings us back to Sayaka."

The idol flinched, "What!?"

Celeste built off the assertion, "You were with Teruteru, Kaede, and Makoto during the nighttime announcement. Did you ever explain what the four of you were doing?"

With Sayaka rendered speechless by Celeste's inquisition, I offered the response, "We were helping Teruteru load the dishwasher…"

Byakuya put his foot down, "So it's settled, then. Since Teruteru didn't frame himself, that leaves Kaede and Sayaka as the only other two who could have taken a knife right before nighttime prevented them from doing so. And since we _know_ that Sayaka purposely switched rooms with Makoto and we found her hair all over the corpse, we can safely assume that Sayaka did it!"

Sayaka just stood there, pale as a ghost. She lost the will to defend herself. I could tell, that wasn't because she was guilty. We may have had our differences, but I can't let them get away with pinning the blame on Sayaka!

* * *

**Nonstop Debate.**

**Evidence:**

**Kitchen Inventory**

**Sayaka's Hair**

**Missing Knife**

Sonia: Sayaka, Teruteru, Kaede, and Makoto were the last ones in the dining hall.

Kazuichi: There's a knife missing, which means **one of those four must have taken it**! ( **Kitchen Inventory** )

Mahiru: Makoto is…well, he didn't take the knife.

Nekomaru: Teruteru is the obvious choice, but if he took the knife, he wouldn't have hid the body in the kitchen!

Celestia: That leaves us with Kaede and Sayaka as the prime suspects.

Korekiyo: But, since we do not have any evidence to suggest Kaede…

Mondo: Then, it's gotta be Sayaka, right?

Byakuya: Switching rooms, missing items, clumps of hair, there is no doubt in my mind: the killer is Sayaka Maizono!

Sayaka: …

Kaede: Wait, that's wrong!

* * *

"There's no way that any of us could have taken the knife, because we were _all_ there!"

Kazuichi scratched his head, "But, couldn't one of you just easily have hid the knife?"

I shook my head, "It would seem so, but logically, that doesn't follow. Think about it, we were all following the itemized list Teruteru wrote prior to the murder or even the motive. Even if Teruteru took the knife, he wouldn't have bothered showing us the inventory and risked any of us noticing the missing knife. Since we already ruled him out because the body was planted to implicate him, we have to consider that Teruteru followed the list to a _tee_. He would have no reason to lie to us that a knife was missing, if Makoto, Sayaka, or I took the knife. He would know. The only way anyone of us took the knife, is if we _all_ planned Makoto's death, including Makoto. But that's an even bigger leap of logic than anything else so far!"

Sonia cocked her head, "So, what you are saying is-"

Mukuro nodded, "That's right. The knife was taken _after_ nighttime."

Yeah, that had to be it, that was the only logical conclusion. But then, that would also mean…

Kaito asked exactly what I was thinking, "So, does that mean, that the murder weapon _wasn't_ the knife?"

Mahiru jumped in, "That's right! It would have been impossible!"

Hiro scratched his head, "But, why would someone steal the knife _after_ nighttime?"

Celeste calmly asserted, "Isn't it obvious? To throw us off the track!"

Did somebody do all of that… just to mess with us?

Byakuya snorted, "Is it obvious? Who went to the dining hall first?"

Nekomaru answered, "I was there first, then Teruteru and Kaede came later!"

Celeste suggested, "So, if we've already eliminated Teruteru, then it was either Kaede or Nekomaru?"

Before I could say anything in my defense, the chef piped up, "It couldn't have been Kaede, I was with her the whole time!"

Thanks Teruteru!

Byakuya concluded, "So, it was Nekomaru, then."

The team manager reacted violently, "Me!? Impossible! I was taking a shit! I just got out when Teruteru and Kaede came in and the three of us went downstairs together! It was the first time anyone of us saw the body!"

Byakuya inquired coolly, "Can you prove that?"

Nekomaru hesitated, "Uh, well…"

There's no way Nekomaru could have done it, I know that, but how do I prove that…

* * *

Nekomaru was with me

**The Body Discovery Announcement**

Nekomaru was taking a shit

That's it!

* * *

"The body discovery announcement only plays when three or more people discover the body. Of the three of us, Teruteru went in first. Then Nekomaru, and then me. But before I even looked at the body, the announcement played. I think it would have played only after I had gotten a good look at the body if I was the third person to find it…"

"But you weren't." Mukuro stated, "And since it didn't play after Hanamura discovered it, that means…"

"The third person to discover it was Nekomaru!" Kaito finished the thought.

Nekomaru sighed, relieved that he'd been cleared. Byakuya wasn't finished however.

"That seems like loose reasoning to me. Who was the first person to discover the body?"

Hiro answered with great enthusiasm, "It was the killer, of course!"

Monokuma did not let that slide, "Don't be stupid! The killer doesn't count as a witness!"

Hiro backed down, "Oh…okay, then, does that mean…"

Byakuya glared at me, "That _means_ that Kaede was the third person who saw the body!"

Was there anyway to prove that further? If Byakuya wasn't going to back down, how could I prove it to him? He seemed very forceful on that subject…

Mukuro interrupted my train of thought, "Let's circle back to this, shall we? I know a way we can prove both Nidai and Akamatsu innocent."

Huh? You do?

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? I'd like to hear it."

Mukuro continued, "We know that the knife was taken this morning, which means it wasn't the murder weapon. However, the knife is still missing. So, naturally, we assumed that the knife had to have been taken first thing in the morning. Assuming that they all went downstairs together, Hanamura would have been the first to enter the kitchen, neither Akamatsu or Nidai could have taken the knife while Hanamura was there. Further, we can infer that the knife wasn't missing until after the rest of us gathered there, because Hanamura, Nidai, and Akamatsu were all still in the kitchen. If I remember correctly, the dishwasher was still closed, and the light was still on indicated that it could be opened-"

Teruteru interjected, "And that light goes away as soon as you open it! Even if you close it again!"

Mukuro nodded, "Right. Which means that-"

"Which means that the knife was taken after everyone had arrived!" Nice job taking credit for that discovery, Kaito.

Kazuichi stammered, "B-But the, does that mean, anyone of us could have done it?"

Mukuro shook her head, "No. It has to have been a moment where someone was left in the kitchen alone…"

Mondo piped up, "But how's that possible? Nekomaru and I were guarding the crime scene!"

Again, the soldier shook her head, "Then it would have to have been before that. When I was taking care of your wound, where was Nidai?"

The team manager responded, "I was in the dining hall with everyone else!"

Mukuro asked, "Who is 'everyone else'?" Then everyone started recounting the events of what happened after the body discovery. Each one served as an alibi:

Nekomaru began, "I left first, with Teruteru. After a while, Mahiru and Sayaka joined us. Then Sonia!"

Kazuichi picked up, "I almost left with Miss Sonia, but Kaito stopped me. Then Mondo and Monokuma got into a fight, and Mukuro cut Mondo with her knife…

Mondo rubbed his knuckles, "So then Mukuro took me to get wrapped up, which takes us out of there."

Mukuro clarified, "That would leave eight people left in the kitchen: Momota, Soda, Ludenberg, Fukawa, Shinguji, Togami, Akamatsu, and Hagakure."

Celeste continued, "When we deduced that Teruteru was suspicious, we all left to go interrogate him, except…"

Korekiyo concluded, "Kaede and Byakuya. They were the last to arrive in the dining hall, which means they were the last ones out of the kitchen…"

All eyes turned to look at me or Byakuya for an answer. He started, "Well, the two of us were both in there together, there's no way either one of us could have taken the knife without the other one seeing it."

That _would_ be true…except

"Byakuya… we didn't leave at the same time, did we?"

The scion glared at me, "What?"

So that's it…

"I just assumed that you were right behind me, but…you were a little later than that, weren't you?"

Hiro scratched his chin, "Come to think of it…I _did_ see Byakuya coming in slightly after Kaede…"

"Byakuya…did you…did you take the knife?"

His demeanor had returned to normal, and he didn't crack when I asked him that, "You're really going to base that off a slight timing issue?"

No, that wasn't it…

"Okay then, if you didn't take the knife, how did you know it was missing?"

A sudden spark lit up in Byakuya's eyes. I was onto something, so I continued,

"When you held me back, you made me check the body again, that's when we found Sayaka's hair in Makoto's fist. But, you never mentioned a missing knife, nor did you make me check the dishwasher to prove that. Instead, you didn't mention it until _after_ we were already interrogating Teruteru…"

There it was!

"You said that specifically to frame Teruteru, because _you_ took that knife!"

For a moment, nothing changed. Then, Byakuya allowed for a cold smirk to appear on his face,

"I see, so you managed to figure it out. _Impressive_."

Huh?

Celeste asked, "So, you admit that you took the knife?"

Byakuya nodded, "Indeed."

Teruteru fumed, "You mean, _you_ tried to set me up!? H-How could you?"

Byakuya chided, "It's not personal. Just coincidence."

Sayaka glared, struggling to keep back her tears, "So y-you k-killed Makoto? And then tried to blame me and Teruteru for it?" gasping for air, she lowered her voice until it was almost a guttural growl, "How _could_ you?"

The scion guffawed, "Isn't it obvious? To make this game more _interesting_."

More interesting?

He continued, "If I left the crime scene as it was, it would have been too obvious. Mysteries shouldn't be obvious. So, yes, I stole the knife, dumped the body, and planted evidence against Teruteru and Sayaka," and with intensity, he added, "but I _didn't_ kill Makoto."

Huh?

Sayaka wasn't having it, "You're a liar! You're only saying that because you're obviously the killer!"

Byakuya sneered, "Exactly. Admitting what I just did makes me automatically suspect. If I _were_ the killer, why would I admit to tampering and not the murder?"

Sayaka stammered, her eyes red with tears, "Because… b-b-because…!"

She started crying, putting her head down and leaning forward on her stand. While she poured her emotions out in a heart wrenching display of grief, frustration and bitterness, the trial carried on as though she wasn't there.

"In order to prove that I'm not the killer, you need only find the two missing puzzle pieces: the murder weapon and location."

The murder weapon and the location? How were we going to figure that out? It's not like we had any other clues…

* * *

**Nonstop Debate.**

**Evidence:**

**Missing Knife**

**Genocider Syo's Case File**

**Monokuma File # 1**

**Kitchen Inventory**

**Clean Body**

Kaito: The two missing pieces are… the murder weapon and the location.

Kazuichi: If the answer isn't the knife and the kitchen… what could it be?

Mondo: *We don't even have a fuckin' clue left!* ( **Genocider Syo Case File** )

Celestia: Perhaps there is something we overlooked? In the dining hall, or any other part of the hotel, perhaps?

Nekomaru: I checked the bathroom, no blood there!

Mahiru: Is that really helpful?

Nekomaru: Of course it is! That means my body is perfectly healthy and I have no reason to go see a doctor!

Mahiru: T-that's disgusting!

Kaede: I think I got it!

* * *

"There is one other clue that we haven't discussed, that's the case file for Genocider Syo."

Toko gasped, "Wha- that's a clue?"

I nodded, "I think so, it would have to be. Otherwise, it's just another red herring."

Toko glared at me, "It m-must be! M-Monokuma just w-wants you t-to suspect me!"

Monokuma raged, "Hey! I would _never_ plant useless evidence! I didn't even give Byakuya the case file!"

That's right… Byakuya had it. Which means…

"Byakuya, you saw the case file and knew exactly what Genocider's Syo's murders looked like right? Remember when you took Kiyo and I to your cabin?"

* * *

**Flashback**

_He walked us over to his desk and picked up a full manilla folder._

_The Genocider Syo Case File._

" _I don't understand why she wants us to look at this thing. There's clearly no relation."_

" _Really? What makes you so sure?"_

_Korekiyo answered for Byakuya,_

" _If I'm not mistaken, I believe it has something to do with the manner in which Genocider Syo's victims are… taken care of, correct?"_

_Byakuya nodded,_

" _Admittedly, Makoto's profile fits that of the average Genocider victim, 'young', 'male'... 'not ugly'. But that's about all we got. See?"_

_I took a look at the case file, and immediately wished I hadn't. The pictures were so graphic and gruesome I didn't even want to think about describing them… they were awful._

**End Flashback**

* * *

"The file showcased the manner in which Genocider Syo disposed of her victims. She would _stab_ them in the neck to kill them, and then _crucify_ them on the wall with her scissors, writing "Bloodlust" next to their corpse with their own blood."

Korekiyo clicked his tongue, "Kehehe…we did not see that, however. You even said yourself that you found the clue to be irrelevant."

I continued, "But, you _also_ mentioned that Makoto fit the rough description of Genocider's victims."

Byakuya sneered, "Yes, it was obvious by looking at the pictures that they were all young men."

I interjected, "But you also specified ' _not ugly_ '. That's a weird thing to say if you were just connecting the dots of the pictures. Because, the victims wouldn't have to match _your_ definition of 'not ugly'..."

Korekiyo caught on, "They would have to match _Genocider's_ definition of that term!"

I nodded, "Exactly. How would you know what Genocider would've thought about Makoto's physical appearance, unless she revealed that to you somehow?"

Byakuya was silent. Toko was silent. The room was silent.

Then, Byakuya spoke up, "That's all well and good, but that doesn't answer either question. We still don't know where Makoto was murdered or with what. You've conjured up a nice little theory, but until you can find more conclusive evidence that implicates Genocider as the culprit, you have no legs upon which you can stand."

More conclusive evidence? He's right, we didn't check anywhere else but what we thought was the crime scene, but, it turns out that too was a diversion. Gah!? What are we going to do? How can I convince them that Genocider did it?

Think, the other thing that connected the victims together...

* * *

Location

**Wounds**

Byakuya

That's it!

* * *

"Check the wounds on Makoto's body. That should be another clue that disqualifies the knife, right?"

Kazuichi thought, "They were kinda more like puncture wounds, right?"

Mahiru added, "One was found on the back of the neck, the others on either of his wrists, right?"

I nodded, "The precision of the killing blow suggests that the killer knew what they were doing. That isn't as suspicious as the wounds on the wrists. How would they have gotten there during a scuffle? Why put them there after the fact?"

Kaito asserted, "Unless you were following Genocider's pattern!"

Sonia inquired, "But couldn't anyone have known about that pattern?"

I shook my head, "No, not really. That information was classified, only in the file. Which means, the only two people who could have known were Byakuya and Toko, aka, Genocider Syo!"

Celeste placed her hand upon her lips, "So that means either Genocider Syo killed Makoto, or Byakuya made it look like she did."

Yasuhiro sighed, "But how could he have done that? It's not like he had a weapon, right?"

I nodded, "No, there's no way he could have used a knife, which means the only other options are Genocider's scissors, which I doubt he has either!"

Byakuya was silent through all of that. He remained silent afterwards, but a small smile played at his lips.

Toko, however, was not silent.

"A-are you b-blaming me now? Y-you think I k-killed Makoto? W-why? H-how? That's n-not possible! T-there are t-too many contradictions! Too many flaws in y-your logic!"

Toko…

I could see that she wasn't going to let up, she was freaking out, she was desperate. She was scared. But still, I had to explain it to her. If she wouldn't come to terms with that, maybe the others could at least be able to tell…

* * *

**Closing Argument**

ACT 1: Byakuya learned that the true identity of Genocider Syo, and decided to set up a murder by revealing their identity to everyone else. We assumed that he was trying to get us to kill them out of fear, but maybe his hope was to lure Genocider Syo out and manipulate them to kill someone. Right at nighttime, Teruteru, Sayaka, Makoto, and I were leaving the kitchen, and headed to our cabins. I assume that's when Sayaka and Makoto switched cabins, because they both entered Makoto's cabin just before I entered mine. Sometime around 11:50, Makoto left his room and was on his way to Sayaka's room. Something likely caught his attention, and he ended up somewhere where the murder took place. Likely, the killer's own cabin.

ACT 2: Opening the door, and Makoto was greeted by Genocider Syo, who killed him in their signature style. Byakuya changed them back to their alternative identity, who was horrified to discover what they had done. Byakuya insisted he would help the culprit disguise the murder, and the two begin to clean up the crime scene, although because the water only works at nighttime, they couldn't get it all out, there is probably still some evidence in that cabin, we can check there to confirm our suspicions.

ACT 3: At some point, Byakuya insisted that the only way to cover up for these exact wounds was to blame the murder on Teruteru Hanamura, and they moved Makoto's body to the dining hall. Of course, they had to clean up the body, so that they wouldn't accidentally leave a trail. While doing that, Byakuya likely discovered Sayaka's room key on Makoto's body, and used it to enter her room. It was there he found some hair that he could wrap around Makoto's fingers, while his body could still be moved, thus implicating a second red herring: Sayaka Maizono.

ACT 4: Byakuya then carried Makoto to the dining hall, and he and the killer were able to throw his body through the kitchen floor. But because of the nighttime rule, they weren't able to further tamper with the body and make it look less suspicious. If they wanted to prevent us from finding the body, or figuring out the culprit, the could have stored Makoto somewhere else. But Byakuya wanted to frame Teruteru, so the kitchen was the perfect place to dump him.

ACT 5: But Byakuya still needed to further incriminate Teruteru, so he waited until he could get into the kitchen and steal a knife in order to declare it missing. It has to have been him, because he was the last one out of the kitchen and the first one to mention the knife was missing. Mukuro likely suspected something was up, and sent Kiyo and I with Byakuya to check up on his room. Not only was that so we could confirm Genocider's signature, but also to verify that Byakuya's room was clean, narrowing it down to **one possible suspect**

"And that person, who is also Genocider Syo, is **Toko Fukawa**!"

* * *

Toko's face was pale. Her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. She was whimpering and shivering violently, like a baby's rattle, when the baby gets mad and flails it helplessly around before releasing it, shattering it against the wall.

Sonia looked at Toko, fear in her eyes, but also a hint of disbelief, "T-Toko? Is it true then? Did you… did she?"

Mahiru was stunned, "But, can we… can we know for certain?"

Mukuro assured us, "There's only one place we need to check: Fukawa's Room."

Toko didn't look at the soldier, only clutched herself tighter and stammered more fervently. She was cornered and rapidly deteriorating mentally. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she was thinking, what was going on inside her brain.

"I-I-I-I t-tried s-so hard…"

Toko…

The tension overwhelmed us as Toko began to break down. Monokuma, of course, was right there to break the silence.

"Upupupupupu! Have we reached a decision? Well then, will you make the right choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one!? Iiiiiiiiit's voting time!"

Looking down at the panel in front of me, the screen lit up and showed a 4x4 grid of all our faces. I pressed the picture of Toko Fukawa, and looked up with regret. There were many similar faces around the room.

"Looks like the results are in! Alright, time to see if you picked the correct culprit!"

A giant screen was lowered as he spoke those words, and on it appeared a virtual wheel, with those same pixel pictures of us. The wheel turned around and around and around, like a car spinning out of control. Finally, it landed on the culprit: Toko Fukawa.

"Congratulations! You voted as the **blackened:** Toko Fukawa, the ultimate literary girl! Also known as the infamous serial killer: Genocider Syo!"

The room was deadly silent as we stepped down from our stands. A semi-circle formed around Toko, who was still a nervous wreck. We all looked at her,

"T-Toko, why? Why did y-you…"

Sayaka seemed to have recovered from her crying, but the tears came back as soon as she brought up the murder of her friend. Toko continued to stutter,

"I-I-I didn't m-m-m-m-mean t-to…" She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, "I k-knew that I w-was dangerous… I-I didn't w-want to h-hurt anybody. B-but he… f-found _her_."

Mondo voiced our confusion, "He found her? What the hell you mean by that?"

Toko sniffled, "M-master w-was c-coming over t-to h-help me c-control her… M-Makoto m-must've seen h-him and f-followed h-him and when he k-knocked on the d-door… _she was there_!"

She was there? Did she mean Genocider?

"T-the n-next t-thing I remember w-was f-finding his b-body crucified on m-my wall! M-master t-told me w-what happened and he p-promised to h-help fix it…"

Eyes moved to Byakuya, who seemed enthralled by Toko's story,

"You really don't remember? Then my theory is correct. You and Genocider don't share memories."

They don't share memories?

Kaito was furious, "Wait, then how is this fair? Toko didn't kill Makoto, Genocider did! She had nothing to do with this! Toko's innocent!"

Monokuma giggled, "No dice, Mamota! Toko is Genocider, and Genocider is Toko, neither would exist without the other!"

Was that true? Maybe Genocider couldn't exist without Toko, but could Toko not exist without Genocider?

The astronaut gritted his teeth, "That's not true! Toko is not defined by Genocider's actions! Only her own actions that she chooses to take are hers! Just like mine!"

Celeste countered Kaito this time, "Whatever you are trying to get at, it won't work. Convicting Genocider is just the same as convicting Toko. What happens to one will happen to the other. You cannot save her, so why try?"

"Why try? Because I want to! I want to believe in Toko Fukawa! I want to believe that she is _not_ Genocider Syo!"

"Y-you _want_ to believe?"

Kaito turned to Toko, twitching in confusion. The astronaut nodded,

"Of course I do! We're in this mess together! And I won't let you take the fall for something you had no control over!"

Kaito…

Was he right? His words were inspiring. Was Toko really to blame for actions she couldn't control? Not that it mattered to Monokuma, they weren't going to persuade him. But that's just it, isn't it Kaito? Your words weren't meant for Monokuma.

They're meant for Toko.

"T-Thank y-you… thank you f-for believing in me!"

Toko turned once more, this time eyeing Byakuya. It looked like just any other instance of her making eyes at him, but then, she forced herself to say something, her eyebrows furrowing skeptically,

"B-Byakuya… you n-never t-told me… how did you f-find out w-who I was?"

Huh?!

The scion remained silent. The writer became furious,

"H-how did you know!? A-Answer me! W-who told you to d-do this? T-To u-use me-"

"To use you? Isn't that exactly what you wanted from me?"

Toko stopped. Byakuya continued, making full eye contact with her, staring her down,

"You followed me like a stray puppy, I ignored you, but you kept following me. I never told you anything about myself, but you told me more than what I ever wanted to know. Your sexual urges, your fantasies, your sick, twisted _perversions_."

The standoff was tense between them, nobody dared to interrupt it. The heat shooting out of Byakuya's gaze was enough to boil[ water.

"I didn't tell you to kill Makoto, _you_ did that with that creature in your brain. Don't push this on me. I used you, yes, but I was helping you too. We _both_ got something out of it, so don't start your pathetic excuses."

Toko was silent, Byakuya had never snapped at her like this. I thought she was done, that she was silent for good, but that was my last wrong assumption of Toko Fukawa.

"You d-didn't answer m-my question. H-How d-did you know?"

Perhaps it was how much of a spine Toko had seemed to grow within the dusk of the class trial or that she just ignored what he had said to break that spine, but whatever it was, it put a look of genuine confusion and discomfort in the face of Byakuya Togami. He waited like that for a moment, Toko's eyes glaring daggers into his. Then he composed himself, crossed his arms, and looked away from Toko Fukawa forever.

" **Mukuro Ikusaba** told me. She gave me the case file."

Huh!?

For a brief moment, eyes turned to the soldier, who said nothing. The sizzling sound of silence blazed across our ears, and for a short while, I didn't even know what was going on.

The silence didn't last long before Monokuma interrupted it with his out of place glee.

"This is all quite interesting, but this is taking away from the main attraction! So, if we're quite finished, I'd like to move along now!"

"M-Move a-along?"

"Now then: I've prepared a special punishment for Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writer!"

"P-Punishment?!"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's… PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!"

Before anyone could react, Monokuma swung his gavel and used it to hit a red button that lifted up to his seat.

On the screen, the following words were shown:

* * *

**Toko Fukawa - Ultimate Literary Girl**

**Execution**

**First Kiss Prank**

A huge chain shoots out from nowhere and shackles Toko by her foot, dragging her between the legs of the other students and throwing her into a dark room. Toko looks around, scared, and suddenly, a spotlight shines, pointing to a figure up in the distance. Toko recognizes the figure as Byakua Togami and begins running towards him, trying to jump at him. Before she can reach him, a giant roller appears and separates the both of them. Startled, Toko begins to run away, trying desperately to escape the path of the roller, but to no avail. The roller catches up and flattens her completely, like a sheet of paper. This paper-thin Toko floats down to the center of the trial room, showing the writer's terrified last seconds of life.

* * *

And just like that, it was over. Toko Fukawa was gone.

"Upupupupu! Extreeeeeeeeeeeeme!"

Ignoring the bear, I tried to focus on the rest of the room. Terror was apparent on most everyone's faces. I could barely breathe. Just next to me, Sayaka was shivering into Mahiru's arms. The photographer looked at me, pain in her eyes. I must have looked the same way, she reached her hand out to mine. Taking it, we squeezed so hard we might have crushed our fingers if we squeezed any tighter.

Just beyond me, Sonia clutched her chest, with a great sigh she bemoaned, "How cruel!"

Kazuichi and Teruteru were stunned beyond silence, their fear emanated from the tears forming in their eyes.

"W-What was that?" the mechanic cried out in horror.

Monokuma giggled, "That's what happens when ya break the rules! Tell me, Mondo, does that look worth it to ya?"

The biker exploded, "You bastard!"

"Upupupupupu!"

Hiro was freaking out, pulling on his hair and muttering to himself, but I couldn't hear him.

Nekomaru, Mondo, and Kaito were just barely able to hold in their emotions. It took the three men just a clench of their fists to keep from exploding into a rage against Monokuma right there in front of us.

Kiyo and Celeste remained composed, but there was a sense of hopelessness swimming in their eyes, as though realizing that any plans for escape were truly useless.

Only two people seemed completely and totally unfazed by the event that just unfolded before us.

Byakuya didn't say a word. He didn't look at anyone. He simply turned to exit the courtroom. And on his way, he stopped only once, at the center of the room, where Toko's flattened body lay, face riddled with fear, betrayal, despair. He stared at her for a minute, then walked straight out of the room.

Mukuro Ikusaba did not move. She stayed rooted to her position, in fact. She was staring straight at Monokuma. The bear noticed her and giggled, but said nothing, and disappeared.

People began to shuffle out of the room, Hiro, Kazuichi, Teruteru, Mahiru took Sayaka, and Sonia brought up the rear. When the three manly men seemed to start leaving, Kaito suddenly stopped and turned to Mukuro, his face contorted with confusion and anger. The larger men stopped several feet ahead of him, turning to see what he was doing.

"Corporal?"

She turned, "Momota."

"Did you really-"

Kaito cut himself off, I could feel the lump forming in his throat as he tried to spit the question out. Mukuro never let him. Ignoring him completely and marching out of the room. Kaito's question hanged overhead, floating higher and higher until it was just a distant memory, lost in space and time.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

I lay in my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Everything that just happened. Makoto. Toko. They were gone. All in one day.

This was like being trapped in a nightmare. A nightmare you could never wake from. A slumber so deep and so eternal, you would never be able to find your body again.

I have to get out of here.

We have to get out of here.

We have to find who's behind this, and end this killing game.

Before this killing game ends us all.

**Chapter One: Obsessive Compulsive Despair- Deadly Life- End.**

**Alive: 14. Dead 2.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toko's execution used here is the official unused execution, so credit goes not to me.
> 
> Sorry to all you Toko fans. Looking back, I think my biggest regret is not having done more with her and give her more screen time to develop in a unique way. That said, this means other characters will get attention and have the opportunity to develop where Toko didn't. If you're sad, you should play Ultra Despair Girls, the game that actually made me like Toko.
> 
> I have been very bad at updating this story on AO3, I need to do better about it. Ah well, as always, let me know what you think! I always enjoy reading what my audience has to say, and AO3 makes it easier to interact with you, which I love! Please enjoy the rest of your day and continue to stay safe out there.  
> -That1guyeveryonehates.


	7. Pandora Unhinged: Daily Life pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede and the gang experience the aftermath of the first class trial and discover a new island.

**Chapter Two: Pandora Unhinged- Daily Life**

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Ahem, attention, attention! This is a special school announcement! Please make your way to the central island as soon as possible! We've got a big day ahead of us, so tardiness will _not_ be tolerated!"

So just like that, huh?

We were going to continue with this stupid killing game, without even having time to properly mourn Makoto and Toko. That made me sick. I almost didn't want to get out of bed. But I forced myself, knowing the price would be steep if I dared to be tardy.

Walking outside my cabin, I found that everyone had roughly the same idea, and I watched as thirteen disgruntled and sagging teenagers slumped their way down the boardwalk, stopping just beyond my door. Some were less glum than others, I didn't need to remind myself who they were.

I found Sayaka struggling towards the back of the group. She looked worse than I'd ever seen any living person before, like she cried her soul out that night. She kept looking forward with wide, empty eyes, shivering at the slightest breeze. Mahiru was right behind her, and looked at me with eyes that suggested there wasn't anything we could do for the idol right now. I hoped beyond anything that a moment would come soon.

I walked up to Mahiru, and we, like the others, trudged on in silence. The only person behind us was that bastard scion, Byakuya Togami. His cabin was the furthest down the boardwalk, and he didn't seem particularly interested in catching up with the rest of us. I couldn't help the thoughts that flooded into my brain the more I thought about him.

It's _his_ fault. He killed Makoto, and he killed Toko!

But in reality, it _wasn't_ Byakuya's fault.

Because the real mastermind was dangling himself right in front of our faces, and we were as powerless as Tantalus to stop him.

"Upupupupu! I certainly hope you all feel well rested! I know I do! In fact, I don't think I've ever felt as psyched up as I do right now! Wouldn't you agree?!"

Mondo clenched his fist,

"Y-you bastard…"

"Huh? What was that?"

While Mondo struggled to hold back his rage, Mukuro Ikusaba cut through the tension, whether to expedite the gathering or to diffuse the biker's bomb or both, I wasn't sure.

"Cut to the chase, Monokuma."

"As you wish!"

The bear jumped up onto a marble statue of himself, so that he was just above our heads. Taking a control panel out of his rump, he pressed a cartoonishly large red button with great gusto. Seconds after he did this, a large wooden bridge rose from the waters and connected the central island to a second island with a large, mountain-like structure at the center.

"Taa-daa! As a reward for surviving the first trial, I've decided to extend your new home with some seriously awesome upgrades! Consider this an expansion pack!"

Nobody budged. We only looked on with suspicion, confusion, and exhaustion. The bear seemed puzzled by our lack of excitement,

"Huh? What's wrong? I thought teenagers loved exploring? Don't you want more space to exercise your government-sanctioned freedom?"

"What about our memories?"

The question came from an unlikely source. Heads turned to Kazuichi, who stood resolutely defiant underneath Monokuma's gaze. Monokuma chuckled,

"Oh, so you remember that, huh?"

That's right, Monokuma's motive had something to do with our memories. Others started jumping in to support Kazuichi,

"Yeah, give us back what you stole from us!" Kaito insisted

"You got what you wanted, give us what you promised!" Hiro cried.

"Calm down, everybody, calm down!" Then, with a wave of his paw, he pulled a black and white box with a red ribbon out and held it triumphantly over his head, "Behold, Monokuma's Box! A gift, from me to you!"

He tossed the box down and Kaito caught it. Without hesitation, the astronaut tore it open and was surprised to find,

"A flashlight?"

"Upupu, that's not just any ol' flashlight! It's a flashback light! Turn it on, and all the memories I promised you will be restored! Go on, what're ya waitin for?"

Monokuma planted a tiny seed of doubt in our minds when he first announced our motive, for some of us, that seed had grown into an oak tree and this was simply Monokuma trimming the branches.

"How do we know this is not another trick?"

Monokuma acted offended at Celeste's question.

" _Another_ trick?! When have I ever tricked you? In our lifetime of knowing one another, I've told you nothing but the _truth_!" but to rub salt in, Monokuma sneered, "Of course… I don't know how you'll _react_ to what you'll remember… but I just can't wait to find out! C'mon Kaito, everyone's waiting!"

Kaito looked at the group, eyes fluttering from Celeste to Kazuichi, Mahiru to me, finally landing on Mukuro. The soldier simply nodded at the flashlight. Kaito nodded back, mind resolved. With a swift motion of his thumb, he switched on the light.

And that's when I remembered…

My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I'm enrolled in the 79th class at Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Pianist. My first year there was also my last year there. That's when the Tragedy happened. When the world was suddenly engulfed in chaos and pandemonium, plummeting into total anarchy. That Tragedy, towards the tail end of my sophomore year, forced the school to shut down, even though the masterminds behind the event were students at Hope's Peak Academy. And they were everywhere. We thought they'd been contained, but they were hiding out in every single class, every corner of the school. They were our teachers, our classmates, our friends.

**The Remnants of Despair.**

But _who_ were they? Why did they do what they did? And where are they now? Did we defeat them? Did we escape? Wait… why can't I remember that?!

The look on everyone's faces matched the feeling in my heart, the dizziness in my head.

"N-no, it's not… possible?!" Sonia cried

"What the hell?" Mondo floundered

"... who are the 'Remnants of Despair', Monokuma?"

The question came from Korekiyo Shinguji, who, although sweating a bit, didn't seem nearly as disturbed by what he remembered as most of the rest of us did. He simply cast a steely glare at the animatronic teddy bear demanding an answer.

"Y-yeah, what gives? I thought you were going to restore all our memories?!"

The teddy bear chuckled at Kiyo and Hiro before taunting them,

"Oh? Suddenly _curious cats_ are we? Upupupu, I hope that comes back to bite ya later! And, no, I never promised to return _all_ your memories, did I? But I certainly got you in the mood to remember, huh!?"

What we thought was going to answer our questions ended up filling our heads with more of them. That had been his plan all along, the mastermind's plan. To give us that ray of hope, only to dash it at the steps of anguish and torturous curiosity. Sounded exactly like something Monokuma and whoever was controlling him would want.

"So, you're not going to tell us who they are?" Byakuya sneered, "Are they wherever _you_ are?"

"How can we even trust these memories? They didn't explain anything about how we got here, maybe they're some made up stories to scare us!" Kaito pumped his fists together as he denounced Monokuma's "reward".

"That could very well be true, could it not?" Celeste pondered with a twirl of her hair, "Whoever has the technology to remove our memories could certainly implant false ones with ease, could they not?"

The astronaut asserted, "That's gotta be it! Just another trick to make us lose sight of escaping!"

The gambler chuckled, "On the contrary, I'd say it's a nasty way to keep us from adapting to harmonious coexistence!"

And they're back to being polar opposites…

"But, what if they _are_ real?"

I glanced over at Kazuichi, getting further and further away from the confident man he'd pretended to be when he first brought up our lost memories. He was answered by the clairvoyant, who seemed more interested in shooting down the question than attempting to answer it.

"There's no way they are! I mean, c'mon, you expect me to believe that I would forget something as big as that? That's obviously a load of bullcrap, and I don't buy bullcrap!"

I seriously doubt that.

Still, it was a lot to take in. Korekiyo seemed to have other thoughts,

"Kehehe… you overestimate a person's ability to remember events as they happen. One reason that myths and folklore seem to always have different versions of the same story is precisely for that reason: person A tells person B who tells person C and so forth. The stories we tell each other now are likely very different from when they were first told. Everytime we remember a piece of information, we remember our memory of the information, not the information itself. Imagine that same process now but over the course of a hundred lifetimes instead of just one."

Kiyo spouted that information in the very matter-of-fact tone I'd come to expect from him. The authority behind his voice suggested he knew exactly what he was talking about. But Hiro seemed to have no respect for such authority, and was nowhere near as eloquent in his contradiction.

"You see? That's bullcrap! If you could remember all that, and still tell me that my memory is wrong, why should I believe anything _you_ say? Besides, that whole business about wipin' and replacin' memories is a whole bunch of pseudoscience if ya ask me!"

I don't think the ultimate clairvoyant has any room to call something 'pseudoscience'.

"Uh, hello?! Don't you guys have, like, a whole freaking island to explore?!"

Huh? Oh, that's right. The second island, we needed to investigate it. Maybe we could find a clue as to the validity of our memories?

Monokuma left as soon as we'd all stepped onto the bridge to cross it. Arriving at the island, I took a look around. It gave off a very similar vibe to the first island, in that it was very tourist-friendly. The only noticeable difference stood just ahead, the giant building that dominated the skyline, probably of the entire archipelago. I definitely needed to check that out.

"It would appear that there are six new areas to explore. We should probably split up."

Everyone heeded Mukuro's advice. Thanks to the last trial, Mukuro had kind of stepped up into a leadership role that nobody was really filling before. It made sense, since she was a soldier and all. She probably had experience leading groups of people before. Still, that wasn't all we'd learned about the ultimate soldier.

We also learned that it was Mukuro who gave Byakuya that file about Genocider Syo…

Ah! Could that have happened right after Monokuma gave us the first motive? I remember, when Byakuya ordered us to go eat breakfast, he stayed behind with Mukuro. And when they came into the dining hall, he had the case file on him! That's when he read it to us and revealed that Toko was also Genocider Syo. I hadn't thought about it much at the time, but now it suddenly made sense!

So why did Mukuro give Byakuya that case file? And how did she get it to begin with?

I knew I couldn't just ask her or Byakuya, and those were the two I felt I would get any useful information from anyway. With a sigh, I pushed those questions to the back of my mind and focused on the ones in front of me.

Where should I head first?

* * *

**Pharmacy**

The doors slid open as I approached the entrance. Stepping inside, I found a very modern, almost futuristic looking store with a few rows filled to the brim with pill bottles and other sorts of pharmaceuticals. I tried focusing on the various ways these drugs could help us rather than what Monokuma had in mind for them.

I noticed Mahiru and Sayaka standing in one of the aisles, the idol still had that distant look in her navy eyes. It saddened me to see her in such a state. I wanted to be able to reach out to her and pull her back from the depths of her sorrow, but I didn't really know what it would take to make that happen.

Mahiru saw me and waved me over. Joining the two girls, I decided to chat with the photographer.

"Hey, Kaede!"

"Hey, Mahiru! Find anything?"

Mahiru shook her head, "No, just a bunch of bottles with names I can't read!"

Try as I might, I just couldn't keep my eyes from glancing over at Sayaka. Mahiru noticed and sighed,

"She hasn't said anything since the trial. I'm really worried about her."

"Me too."

I felt awful about misjudging her intentions with Makoto. To see her like this made me understand how much he must have meant to her. Of course, she hardly spent time with anyone else, so I could only imagine how close she must have grown to him.

Heck, I felt I'd grown pretty close to him too.

Without much else left to look for, I waved goodbye to my friend and went to the next area.

* * *

**Library**

"...wow."

I watched in amusement as Byakuya Togami, Korekiyo Shinguji, and Sonia Nevermind, three people so very different and yet oh so very similar let loose, in perfect unison, the same three letter word that expressed their awe at what was laid before them.

The library was old-looking and massive. I'd never seen so many books at once before in my life. But, I was willing to bet all three of them had.

"This library is nearly as magnificent as the one at my palace!"

"This library is almost as large as the entire Togami collection!"

"Kehehe… this library is beautiful!"

I'm glad we have so many book enthusiasts with us here.

"Oh? There seems to be a section here dedicated to the occult and urban folklore… how intriguing!"

"Really?! May I see? What do they have in regards to Japanese ghost stories and murder mysteries?"

"My guess is nothing I haven't already seen. Though, I wouldn't mind seeing them again."

Wow, they really are all on the same wavelength, huh?

I didn't know if I should be disturbed or oddly comforted, but I decided to leave the three horror-enthusiasts to their fan club and search the place more. After all, was their obsession with the occult and murder mysteries any different from my obsession with the piano?

Yes. Yes, I think they might be _very_ different.

Still, the library didn't seem to offer anything noteworthy, at least in regards to our situation. There were a lot of music theory notes and even some score books for piano, but, with no piano, there really wasn't a point.

With a dejected sigh, I walked past the psycho-fans and moved on to the next area.

* * *

**Ancient Ruins**

The building stood 5-stories tall and was covered in overgrowth and decay. It looked almost like a theme park attraction for some type of haunted ride. The main difference, of course, was the large machine gun guarding the entrance.

Well that's not suspicious at all…

"It's protected by a pass code of some kind."

Mukuro Ikusaba walked up next to me, hand stroking her chin. She nodded over to the front door, where there seemed to be a control pad just next to the frame. She was right, it looked like a code for a military base. Heck, it was guarded like one…

"I assume getting the wrong code will activate that large machine gun?"

The soldier nodded and answered the gambler,

"That would be the most logical answer."

Celeste kept her small, polite smile plastered on her painted face. I had yet to see her really break down over anything, yet. She always had that… that poker face. I mean, I get she's a gambler, but it was kind of unsettling. She never let anyone know what she was thinking, what she was feeling, ever. I didn't trust that.

"Logic seems to be a trait lacking among the group, wouldn't you say?"

"I try not to make petty banter behind people's backs. Anything I have to say, I can say directly."

Celeste glanced at Mukuro,

"Oh, don't mistake me for a gossip, Mukuro. I would happily reveal my opinions of the others to their faces as I would to your own."

Mukuro, whose grimace was as constant as Celeste's simper, glanced right back at her.

"I have trouble believing you would be so intimate with anyone here, _Ludenberg_."

The way she said Celeste's last name seemed to nearly knock the mask off the gambler, I nearly saw it. But it was so intense, so full of… acid, I couldn't help but feel intimidated myself. It didn't help that I was literally in the middle of this tense standoff between soldier and goth.

Ah! I need some air!

* * *

**Diner**

On my way to the beach, I noticed a cute little diner in the style of an American sitcom set in the 50s. I wasn't the biggest fan of American sitcoms, or culture in general, but I'd always found diners to be cute. So, before I explored the beach area, I decided to pop into the small building for a little peek.

I regretted it immediately.

"Get that DISGUSTING greasy JUNK FOOD out of _my_ diner!"

"Y-your diner? C'mon dude, we _just_ found it!"

"Get it outta hea' o' I sweah, I sweah I throw dis big ol' pot atcho greasy head! Don' think I ain't doin' it aithah, mama ain't raise no cowah!"

"Yes, brilliant! Pin him down! That's it, now use the ladle! C'mon, you gonna let him hit ya with that, boy? Stand up like a MAN and FIGHT BACK!"

Teruteru Hanamura, ultimate chef and apparently Cajun now, had pinned poor Kazuichi Soda to the floor and was beating the tears out of him with a giant ladle while Nekomaru Nidai, who seemed to be cheering both boys on, howled with euphoria.

Y-yeah… I think I can skip this one…

* * *

**Chandler Beach**

An astronaut, a biker, and a really bad psychic are walking on the beach… the only part of that setup that's a joke is that it isn't.

Kaito was already laying on his large coat lined with the milky way, staring up at the blue sky above, wistfully daydreaming about stars, probably.

I think Hiro was listening to seashells he picked up. He seemed enthralled by them, tossing them behind him to Mondo, who would look at it with disgust and chuck it behind him. Occasionally, the biker would smash the bigger ones, probably to prove how tough he was to the crabs scuttling at their feet.

When Hiro saw me, he waved and shouted,

"Hey, Kaya! Over here!"

Careful on the sand, I skipped over, eager to search the beach for seashells with Hiro and Mondo.

"Heya Kaya, didya find anything cool, yet?"

I shook my head, "Well, there's a giant library and an even larger abandoned building at the center, but nothing with any clues in them."

Hiro chuckled,

"Nah, man, not like _that_! I mean like _this_!"

He held up a conch shell with great pride at having found it.

Of course, whenever Hiro said 'cool' he meant unimportant.

Still, the shell was pretty, and I had to give the boy credit for finding the silver lining out of all this. In fact, aside from a couple people, this new island seemed to be returning most of us to a state of comfort where we could relax and just be teenagers again, exploring a tropical island together, like a field trip.

"Mondo and I've been collecting these! Ya know, a lot of people would pay good money for the really big and shiny ones! So it's great that we've already got a few of 'em!"

Mondo's eyes went wide,

"Uh… you wanted to _sell_ these?"

Hiro chuckled,

"Duh, dude, what'd ya think I wanted to look at 'em?"

Uh-oh.

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck nervously,

"Oh, uh, well, about that…"

"Oh hey, what's that over there!?"

The biker breathed a sigh of relief as the sandals wearing clairvoyant pointed his attention over to a small, but ornate beach house tucked away into the trees at the edge of the sand. Dropping his 'fortune', Hiro rushed over to the building and peeked inside. Mondo was careful to lay the rest of the shells down on the ground before turning to me with his violet eyes and cocked his head over there.

"Ya wanna go check it out?"

I nodded and we walked over to the door left ajar by the curious clairvoyant.

* * *

**Beach House**

Although the inside was small, it didn't feel cramped. There were a couple of recliners, a mini-fridge, and a bar. A small hallway led to a bathroom, and another to a walk-in closet with swimming, diving, and other equipment stored in.

"Damn, I wouldn't mind hangin' out here on a beach day…"

Mondo gave a low whistle as he opened the fridge and took out a couple glass soda bottles. He tossed one to Hiro and handed the other to me, before cracking his open with ease on the counter of the bar. I went to twist it, but the sharp edges of the cap kept me from gripping it too tight. I wasn't anywhere near a piano, but I was still really protective of my fingers.

The biker noticed and took the bottle from me, repeating what he'd done to his own and handing it back with a sideways glance and a low huff.

"Uh, sorry 'bout that."

"Thanks Mondo!"

I couldn't tell for certain, but when I chirped that, I swore I saw color rising in his cheeks. He took another sip of his cola and sniffed,

"Sure, whatever, man."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass and a helpless Hiro holler in horror.

"Gah! My bad, dude!"

Soda and glass flew all over the floor, some even landed on my vest, to my great displeasure. Mondo wiped soda off his face before aggressively setting his bottle on the counter and clenching his fists at the clumsy psychic.

"Goddamnit, Hiro! You sonuvabitch! If ya need help, fuckin' ask next time!"

The man with dreads waved his hands frantically,

"Gah! Sorry, dude! It won't happen again!"

While they yelled back and forth, I made an attempt to clean the spill off my vest, but soon realized it would stain. Mondo must've heard me sigh, because the next thing he yelled was,

"Look whatcha did, moron, ya got it all over Kaede's nice sweater vest!"

"Gah! I'm sorry Kaya, honest!"

"You're not fuckin' sorry, man, you're cleanin' that shit!"

"Ah, right! Totally!"

Mondo took a break from bullying Hiro and, without lowering his voice, turned to me,

"Kaede, take off your shirt and give it to Hiro!"

There was a very awkward pause, during which, the exact content of what Mondo had told me to do reached into his ears and processed in his brain. You could see it all in his face, how his violet eyes slowly turned those cogs and his tanned skin became slightly pinker. I felt my face getting hotter, and the look on Hiro's was complete disillusioned awe.

"Uh, maybe not here…? Right… now?"

It took everything I had to get that to roll off of my tongue. Mondo looked down at his feet and coughed,

"No, uh, yeah, that wouldn't… huhumph!"

Another pause.

"That's okay, though… I can… get it-"

"Sure, yeah… totally. Cool. Whatever."

More silence.

Mondo chugged the rest of his soda and gasped when it was all gone.

"Maybe we should, ya know, get back?"

Mondo and I didn't hesitate as the three of us walked out at Hiro's suggestion,

"Yeah!"

* * *

After that incident at the beach house, the three of us joined up with Kaito and walked back to the hotel dining hall. Some people were already gathered there, and it took about a half hour before everyone had made it back.

With great enthusiasm, Kaito led us in our meeting.

"Alright, everyone! Let's go around and share what we found!"

"Oh! I found a magnificent library! It was chock full of swell reads! Like manga and crime and occult magazines!"

"Whoa, whoa, occult magazines? Don't tell me you're into that crap too!"

The princess ignored Hiro's remarks and proceeded with her lavish praise of the library.

"Cultural journals, cooking books, self help books, serial killer case files! Histories, poetry, treaties, tragedies, teen fiction! Why, I could spend a lifetime there!"

"Kehehe… it's true that the library is fully stocked with information that could very well last a man his youth. I should consider myself fortunate to breathe my last among the shelves."

Kazuichi, like most of us, was very unnerved by this exchange,

"Man, all this talk of death and murderers is making me not wanna go there!"

Sonia would not have it,

"Please hold on! It is a mistake to refer to these people as mere murderers! Coming in contact with a value system that differs from your own is a very important matter. Serial killers...their value system is very different than the norm... What a marvelous existence! Haaaaah! I'm totes intrigued!"

"Kehehe, I couldn't have said it better myself."

While Kazuichi mourned the loss of his dear princess, Kaito moved the meeting onward,

"That's good! I'm sure some of that might come in handy! Who's next? Mahi-Mahi?"

"Geez, why are you calling me that?" She muttered to herself mostly, since she knew Kaito wouldn't listen, "Well, nothing really. Sayaka and I found a small pharmacy filled to the brim with pill bottles. I checked some of the labels, and, as you'd expect, it ranges from over-the-counter drugs to some seriously dangerous stuff. No doubt as to what Monokuma put it there for."

Sayaka didn't have much to add. She seemed to calm down enough to at least close her mouth, and move her eyes, which she'd moved down to stare at her glass of water.

"Hmm, I see. Well, that's very important for anyone with chronic headaches or allergies."

Or amputations.

"Corporal, what did you find?"

I didn't understand why Kaito had started calling Mukuro 'corporal', but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Just an old, ruined building. There's an electronic lock on it, it needs a code to open."

"Did you find the code?"

"No."

"Did you try any combinations?"

"No. The entrance is guarded by a machine gun. I'd advise caution to everyone not to attempt to open it until we know for certain what the code is."

No further explanation was needed. Everyone agreed.

"Well, we'll keep an eye out for that code! Kazuu? What did you find?"

"Uh, well, maybe I should let Teruteru-"

"We found a lovely little diner just by the edge of the beach!" The chef lost his strange accent from earlier and beamed with delight, "It looks to be in very good condition, I just gotta dust her off a bit and she'll be good to go!"

I mentally gave him a pat on the back for making it through that sentence without any vulgar remarks. Only mentally, because you'd have to be mental to ever willingly touch Teruteru.

"That's remarkable! I'll be putting you in charge there, then Teruteru!"

Kaito turned to me next, with a big thumbs up he asked,

"So, Kaede, I saw you, Hiro and Mondo head into that beach house! Anything interesting happen in there?"

Oh, you have no idea.

I forced that memory out of my mind and placed an enthusiastic smile in its place.

"Nothing, except there's a mini-fridge with soda and a walk-in closet with a bunch of water-related equipment. Other than that, it was pretty standard."

"I see, very good! I'm sure we can make great use of that equipment!"

I appreciated how upbeat Kaito was being about the exploration. We hadn't found anything that would even remotely help us with what we really needed help with, but you wouldn't know that listening to Kaito. He made every discovery seem important, and I could tell it made a difference in the attitude. Most of us had returned to a sense of normalcy. I was only worried about how long it would last.

How long until Sayaka wasn't the only one completely shut down?

No, I couldn't think about that. That's what Monokuma wanted me to focus on.

Kaito was doing his best to make sure we weren't giving that bear what he wanted.

For a short while, even Byakuya allowed Kaito to have his moment. After what he pulled with Toko, I think it was a measured decision for him to lay a little under the surface for the time being. I couldn't stand him, but he was smart, so I gave him that.

Once we concluded, Teruteru headed into the kitchen to fix up a late lunch. I realized I hadn't eaten all day, so when the chef cooked up a gourmet buffet, we all had our share. Making it the big meal of the day, he filled us until we were satisfied.

…

He's getting into my mind!

Feeling stuffed and lethargic, I called in slightly earlier than normal. I was already tucked in when the nighttime announcement came on.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10 pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Without much else keeping me attached to the real world, I succumbed to my drowsiness and allowed myself to waltz asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I take so long updating on here, that is, how we say, "my bad". I'll say I'll try to get better, but idk how hard I'm gonna try...
> 
> Anyway, nice, short and sweet. Got some nice character moments, get to explore the themes a little more. These chapters are always great for exploring new character dynamics, my personal favorite is Byakuya, Sonia, and Kiyo bonding over their eccentric tastes in literature. I think it's kinda neat that each game has at least one character obsessed with the really creepy stuff, but each time they approach it differently. Like, these three are such different characters, but that just makes them much more interesting to connect. Who knows, maybe I'll explore that more...
> 
> Also, pay attention to the chapter themes now. From here on out, the chapter names will very explicitly reference pieces of literature that, if you're familiar with, will likely inform you on how things are gonna go down. I sound like a literature teacher, but I promise it'll be fun! I like it, anyway...
> 
> That's all from me for right now. I'll try to post the next chapter soon! Thank you for reading!


	8. Pandora Unhinged: Daily Life pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede eats some oats, Sonia gets her nerd on, and Mondo goes for long walks on the beach.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day! Now then. Let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!"

My eyes opened up with surprising vigor. Teruteru must have put something in the food that made me feel so refreshed! I leapt out of bed and didn't even give a second thought to the notion of someone like Teruteru slipping something in the food as I prepared for the day.

I guess I should go to the dining hall.

Stuffing my e-handbook into my backpack, I headed out.

* * *

The dining hall was alive with the moderate hum of teenage life. The ultimate chef was in the kitchen serving up fresh bowls of oatmeal and chopped fruit. Taking one, I walked over to my usual table, where Celeste and Sonia were already deep in conversation.

"I will make sure to show you the old royal manor! I believe the Gothic art style of the time period will certainly enthrall you and suit your own tastes!"

"Yes, I am sure it will!"

"Ah, good morning Kaede!"

I waved at the cheerful princess and took my seat across from the gambler, who was calmly sipping tea in a dainty little cup.

"Good morning, Kaede."

"Good morning Sonia, morning Celeste!"

They seemed to be enjoying the rest as much as I had. I scanned the room to see who all had arrived. Other than the two girls and the chef, I found Mukuro enjoying her meal alone, Byakuya on the opposite side of the room, also alone, and Kaito sat talking animatedly with Hiro and Nekomaru.

I finished my first bowl pretty quickly since I was focused less on conversing and more on eating. When I came back with my second, I found Mahiru and Sayaka sitting at the table. A welcome surprise, since Sayaka usually sat with Makoto. I put on a friendly smile as I took my seat on the other side of Mahiru.

"Good morning, Sayaka!"

"... Good morning."

Her voice was very tender and delicate, like a rose just past its prime. Her eyes still bore an overcast look, like the ocean underneath a gathering storm. The storm which had unleashed during the trial and was now slowly dissipating. It was hard to listen to her, it sounded like it took a lot of effort to utter those two words. But at least it was something.

I looked over at Mahiru, who had devoted all her time to the idol since the trial. The photographer looked weary, there were bags starting to form under her green eyes. I'd noticed that she'd been letting Sayaka sleep with her in her room. I could understand why. I figured in order to help Sayaka get to sleep, Mahiru had to be losing some herself. For both their sake I hoped Sayaka recovered soon.

The idol played around with her oatmeal, flipping it over and over with her spoon, while Mahiru tried coaxing her into eating it. At times, the photographer would sigh and take a five minute break to eat for herself. Sonia and Celeste had abruptly stopped conversing, unsure of what exactly to do in this situation.

"Uhm… the food is really delicious, is it not, Sayaka?"

"Hm? Oh…"

The princess didn't even get an agreement or dissent out of the idol, but persisted anyway.

"I must say, I have never had such a dish before. What was this called again?"

"Oatmeal, princess." Celeste chirped matter-of-factly, "It is no wonder you have not had it before, it is a commoner's food, one I would think would be unsuited for someone of your rank and privilege."

Sonia's platinum eyes sparkled like they did in moments of great mundane discovery,

"Oh wow! So I am eating authentic 'normal' food?! How charming! I am simply OMG!"

Ignoring Sonia's poor understanding of generational slang, my eyes were drawn to something just beyond Celeste's mask. I could tell that she looked at Sonia with great respect, but something seemed to bother her about the princess' reaction to the oatmeal. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly, and I even assumed I'd imagined it, it was only very minuscule and brief. Celeste was like a statue.

"Ah! Miss Sonia, good morning!"

Four heads turned to see the pink-haired mechanic walk by with a bowl of oatmeal greeting the princess with a far-off look in his eye. I'd seen that look before in desperate men vying for beautiful women. I don't think he even considered the depths he was swimming in.

"Oh, good morning Kazuichi. Are you having some of Teruteru's oatmeal as well?"

"Uh, y-yes I am, Miss Sonia!"

"Excellent, Teruteru is a fine chef of great culinary taste! He has even offered to show me his special tenderloin recipe, but I fear I am not quite at the level to accept such a generous offer!"

Mahiru piped up, "Listen, Sonia, I've been meaning to talk to you about that-"

"Good mornin' ladies! Kazuu! Enjoyin' breakfast are we?"

The look on Kazuichi's face when Kaito slung his arm around him suggested that the mechanic was not all too keen that the astronaut landed here at this moment. I figured Kaito could tell just as well as anyone else what he'd had in mind when stopping to talk to 'Miss Sonia'.

"Oh, Kaito! I wanted to make an official request of you as a fellow lover of the cosmos!"

"Sure thing, Princess Sony, name it!"

Sonia giggled at her nickname as well as her general excitable attitude and pressed forward,

"When you discover your first star, would you do me the honor to consider naming it after me? I have always dreamed of having a star named after me, ever since I was a little girl!"

"You're already wayyy hotter than-"

Kaito cut Kazuichi off with a sharp jab to his rib cage, "Sure thing, Princess! It would be my honor!"

I swore I watched as stars enveloped her eyes, "Simply stellar! I am sure I can convince my parents to fund your expeditions! This is turning out to be quite the fan-tabulous day! I am feeling bees crawl into my knees!"

I think she meant 'bees knees'.

The astronaut smiled gratefully before turning his attention to Sayaka,

"Hey Super-Saya, how're the oats?"

The idol at first didn't react. But slowly, she turned her pale face, now much more naked than it had been, upwards to connect with the deep violet hue of the astronaut's starry gaze

"They're…good."

It was weak, and still only two words, but she was making slow and steady progress. I was worried the overzealous man would overdo it, but he simply gave the pop star a thumbs up, "Great to hear! Never been a fan myself, but gotta respect Teruteru's natural gifts!"

With a wave, the astronaut bid us all goodbye and corralled Kazuichi away with him. The atmosphere was much more pleasant after that, and the conversation lighter. I finished the rest of my second bowl, but more impressively, Sayaka managed half of hers. Her mood didn't suddenly change, but I could see a spec of sparkle return into her eyes. It was nighttime, and the clouds were slowly parting to show the reflection of the stars.

Hiro came by and finished the rest of her food, while Mahiru took her to Jabberwock Park for a walk. Handing my dish back to Teruteru, I walked outside into the sunny day and looked around.

I have a lot of time left today, I shouldn't be lazy with it. What should I do?

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Yasuhiro is at Chandler Beach**

I made my way over to the second island where I found Hiro walking along the beach, combing for more seashells. He'd tied his coat around his waist and tied his dreads back and was very focused on his work.

Beyond him, the waves lapped up against the shore with a steady and soothing tempo. Like my metronome back at home; it gave my body a sense of order and comfort.

**Should I hang out with Hiro?**

I came this far!

As I got closer, the clairvoyant noticed me and smiled a goofy grin,

"Oh, hey Kaya! Wanna help me look for seashells? My mom always told me if I ever got a hobby that it should involve the beach, so I became a beachcomber!"

I'm not sure that's something you're supposed to be proud of…

"Sure, I'd love to, Hiro!"

"Awesome! I cleared from here to back there already, so if you could start over by the beach house, we're sure to cover more ground that way!"

I spent some time combing the beach with Hiro.

* * *

After a couple of hours, we met up on the porch of the beach house and began organizing all the things we found. They were mostly shells, but Hiro had found a surprising amount of sand dollars and even a couple odd bronze coins with what looked like Monokuma's face etched into them.

"Well, we certainly found a lot of interesting things here!"

"Really? They're just shells. Isn't that what most people find at beaches?"

Hiro laughed, "Well, yeah, but I like to think that these shells are special! After all, we found them _together_! They're officially _our_ shells! We're like, the Christopher Columbus of these seashells, ya know?"

I think that description was a lot more accurate than he realized…

Hiro started dusting the sand off of a massive conch, then when he was satisfied, he put it up to his ear and made a very serious face, as though he were listening very carefully for something.

"Hmm, that's weird…"

"What is?"

"My mom always told me if you put one of these up to your ear, you could hear the ocean, but… I don't hear anything!"

"Wait, are you serious?"

"I'm totally for serious! For serious! Nothing!"

"But Hiro, we're literally on a _beach_!"

His face got a little red as he asserted back at me, "Yeah, I _know_! That's why it's so freakin weird, dude!"

I spat back, "Maybe you just need your ears cleaned!"

He started picking his ear, "Nah, I don't think that's it… I shower everyday!" Putting the conch back down on the porch, he sighed, "Ah well, we can still make decent money with this, even if it is defective."

"Really? How much do they usually go for?"

Hiro scratched his chin pondering aloud, "Hmmm, let's see… you could probably sell the nicer ones here for, maybe… ¥5000 a piece? You just gotta find the right buyers, ya know?"

"Wow, that's actually not a bad price for a seashell!"

"Yeah, I know! That's why I'm so stoked to find so many here! I'll be able to pay of my debt in no time!"

Uh-oh…

"Y-You're in debt?"

"Yyyeahhh, it's kinda a long story… Basically, I spent a very wealthy person's money on something and they got a tad upset and wanted their money back…"

"How much money?"

"Well… from _her_ I got… roughly ¥10.000.000."

"¥10.000.000!? What did you buy?!"

"A _very_ rare and powerful crystal ball that was used by Genghis Khan, George Washington, and Napoleon Bonaparte! It was on sale for ¥100.000.000!"

" _That's_ on sale?!"

"Well, it would make sense right? If it was actually used by all three of those world famous dudes, right?"

No! It wouldn't!

"Wait, did you say _if_? You mean, you _knew_ it was fake?!"

Hiro raised his hands defensively, "I didn't know when I bought it! The guy who sold it to me seemed pretty legit! He was a buddy of the brother of a friend of one of my mom's friends! Super reliable!"

I was really starting to question a _lot_ of the things that I thought about Hiro.

"Even so, you're gonna need a lot more shells to pay that off!"

"Well, I still have my readings! I have the best accuracy rate in all of Japan, and I'm even ranked worldwide as one of the best!"

Of course, he was still the Ultimate Clairvoyant, after all. I imagined it would be impossible for just anyone to get invited to attend Hope's Peak.

"How accurate are your predictions?"

"They've grown to about 30%!"

"Wait, _30%_ is considered highly accurate?!"

"Hey now, psychic abilities are really rare, ya know, not everyone can develop a sixth sense! Because of that, there aren't a whole lot of resources you can use to hone your skills! There are so many frauds and con artists out there, you gotta be extra careful not to get tricked by them!"

I almost felt like I was being hit by a wave of irony. Still, he had a point. Based on what I know about "psychics", even being 30% right is a better success rate than a lot of those phonies…

"Hey, since you helped me find some pretty neat items, how bout I treat ya to a palm reading? Free of charge!"

I was instantly skeptical. A lot of what I just learned about Hiro didn't inspire confidence in him or his abilities. But, if he wasn't going to charge me… I guess it couldn't hurt to try…

"Okay, sure."

I held out my palm and he took it into his hand, studying it very intensely. I thought he was going to start tracing it, like I saw in tv shows and stuff, but instead, he just closed his eyes and clamped down on my hand with both of his, breathing deeply and heavily. His grasp was getting clammy and I was starting to feel a sense of unnerve when he suddenly released and looked me dead in the eye with a absolutely sincerity and said,

"You're dying a slow painful death when all of a sudden you get whisked away by a dark, mysterious alien from a world beyond our own!"

…

I'm really glad I didn't have to pay for that.

Despite his sketchy aura, I feel like I bonded with Yasuhiro today.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Sonia Nevermind**

I left the dining hall after my fourth bowl of Teruteru's delicious oatmeal and made my way to my room for a bit to relieve myself and take a short break. After finishing my business, I wanted to inform Nekomaru of the massive contribution I had just made to the island's sewage system, but I did not know where I could find him. In the end, I gave up my search and retreated to the library to exercise the rest of my free time!

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Korekiyo is at the Library**

Upon entering it, I was not surprised in the slightest to find the anthropologist sitting quietly at a table deeply engrossed in what must have been a very captivating read indeed. I was quite thrilled to have encountered him, as he seems to be very knowledgeable on various interesting histories, so I immediately approached him with a slight bounce in my step.

"Hello Kiyo! What are you reading?"

Kiyo looked up at me, and while his mask hid away his lips, I could see a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, which made me feel happy to think he considered me worth his time!

"Ah, princess, how very fortunate of you to stop by at this particular time. I was just reading a summation of Eastern European folklore and urban legends. Because of your connections to this part of the world, I was hoping to discuss with you some of its context. It would be of great anthropological benefit to have such a perspective as yours while expanding my studies!"

His voice was quite sultry, and I cannot help but have felt a flutter in my chest, as though the snake had suddenly become the charmer. Of course, I loved discussing worldly things, so to find a like-minded fellow among my classmates really encouraged me!

**Should I hang out with Korekiyo?**

"Why certainly, Kiyo, I would love to discuss my heritage with you!"

I spent some time discussing the intricate details behind Eastern European culture with Korekiyo!

* * *

"Therefore, it is a common misconception that Hungarians only believed in Baba Yaga, the existence of Boszorkány suggests that. However, there can be no doubt as to human's distrust of nature, we see across all cultures folklore depicting demons of all kinds living in forests disconnected from society. It is the manifestation of our insecurities regarding the unknown that wilderness becomes the hallowed ground for spirits and other supernatural creatures. The mistake is certainly understandable given this context."

"Ah, I see! But then, why make both of them old women? If you wished to draw a distinction should there not be a better way to do this?"

"Kehehe, one would think… yet, also keep in mind that legends were once facts and that each report would be isolated from the other. Therefore, if there really was an evil old witch living in the forests of Eastern Europe, it _is_ entirely possible she was the same only described in the most relatable traditions and expectations of the local town." Kiyo paused to rub his face, "Of course, age also directly ties to our perception of beauty… for instance, so many princesses are depicted very similarly to yourself, for they are always the manifestations of a man's desire."

Kiyo's sulphuric eyes seemed to be analyzing mine quite intensely as he talked about princesses. I got a feeling in my stomach that he may have been using this moment as an opportunity to flatter me, if I was correct on assuming his implicit nature.

"Manifestations of a man's desire…"

I muttered it more to myself, but found the anthropologist averting his gaze. Was he, perhaps, blushing? The mask made it impossible to tell.

"Kehehe… please forgive me, princess. I did not wish to make you feel… uncomfortable."

Ah! Kiyo!

"No, not at all! On the contrary! I feel quite comfortable sitting here with you, Kiyo! You are a very remarkable and intelligent young man! I would like to have more people like you at court…"

I found myself adding the last bit against my better judgement. I soon found my eyes averting and felt my cheeks slightly burning as the anthropologist slowly turned to face me again, although I could not yet turn back,

"...you...you do?"

There was a sense of vulnerability in his voice. Almost like that of a lost child. I turned back.

"Why, yes Korekiyo, I do. If there were more individuals such as yourself, I should not find the castle so boring a place, for I would have you to show me the wonders of the world!"

The anthropologist blinked several times before he spoke again,

"Kehehe… you flatter me, princess… I should think… someone like me has no business next to someone like you. I shudder to think of how you would be perceived spending your time with a commoner of my taste."

His speech started to become much less silky, as though he were fighting his own words, strangling himself with his own tongue.

"Kiyo, do not answer if you do not wish, but I have always wondered…why do you wear that outfit?"

"Kehehe…you wish to understand why someone so enthralled with humanity would chose to wear such a discomforting uniform, as though I were meant to hide. The truth is…it was a gift…from someone who is… _w_ _as_ very dear to me…it is now my memory of her…"

"Oh? Was she… a lover?"

I could see something stir in the pupils of Korekiyo Shinguji, almost bubbling up like a cauldron left alone for too long. Suddenly, he blinked and it disappeared.

" _No_ …she was…my _sister_."

The way he said that, with such forceful articulation, unsettled me. As though he were trying to convince himself of what he said and deny what I had said. I could not understand what he seemed to be going through. But I certainly hoped to learn more. It would seem, however, I would have to wait a bit more.

Korekiyo stood up with a sigh, closing his book and his eyes,

"Thank you for your company, princess, but I suddenly feel…ill. Perhaps I had too much oatmeal...Oats have never been known to agree with me."

"Ah! So you loved the oatmeal too!"

He looked at me with almost a distant sadness as to witness my attempt at lightening the mood.

"Kehehe…perhaps I did…a little _too_ much."

He proceeded to walk away, "I did enjoy our discussion…I hope for more in the future… good day, princess."

"Good day, Kiyo."

Kiyo returned the book and slithered out of the library. While I certainly had learned some new information from Korekiyo, I felt I had barely learned any information about him. I wished to remedy that in the future.

Still, I do believe we bonded!

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Mondo Oowada**

For some reason, I was the last one into the dining hall. My head was pounding like fuckin' crazy, and my body hadn't felt so sore since I took a spill cycling in Kyoto. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me, but it seemed everyone else had much better nights than I did. By the time I got into the dining hall, I was greeted only by a single bowl of cold oatmeal. I assumed that's what Teruteru made, but the little grease-ball wasn't there to confirm that.

Still, food is food, right?

Forcing my stiff body to sit, I shoveled the cold oatmeal down my gullet.

When I'd finished, I was only starting to feel slightly better. At least the food calmed my stomach down a bit.

I stretched out my body, letting a yawn fly freely out and glanced up at the clock.

Jesus, it's almost 4! How long was I fuckin' asleep?!

Still, I had some time left in the day, I figured I shouldn't waste it in my room. I didn't feel up for walking as far as the second island, but I did want to move my legs, so I figured I'd head over to the park.

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Mahiru and Sayaka are at the Park**

I looked around, only seeing the redhead and the blue chick. Everyone else must have been exploring the second island some more. Made sense. Sayaka hadn't been her normal self lately either, so it also made sense she'd be staying behind. I couldn't blame her. Shit, if I lost someone I felt that close to, I don't know how I'd take that. Of course, there were different standards for the two of us.

Making my way around the park, I eventually caught up with the two chicks. Mahiru noticed me and gave me a friendly wave. Sayaka kept her face forward, tilted slightly down. I waved back. I hadn't had the opportunity to talk to either girl much, so I figured now would be as good a time as any.

**Should I hang out with Mahiru and Sayaka?**

That's what I fuckin' said.

"Sup Mahiru, mind if I walk with you and Sayaka a bit?"

She shook her head, "Not at all! Do you mind if Mondo walks with us, Sayaka?"

The blue chick moved slightly at the sound of her name, but didn't look at the redhead.

"Uh… Mondo?"

It sounded like she was struggling to remember who I was. Jesus, was she really that bad? I nudged her gently,

"Yeah, hey, it's me: Mondo!"

I didn't wanna be too rough, but I figured the best way to get her to acknowledge me was to get her to look at me. Grabbing her arms, I turned her to face me, bending down to her eye level,

"Mondo Oowada!"

For a brief moment, our eyes connected and I felt a sort of ignition. The moment was cut short by Mahiru slapping me hard and prying my hands off Sayaka's shoulders.

"Hey, what the fuck!? That hurt!"

"You're being too rough with her! If you're gonna walk with us, you have to be gentle!"

She waggled a condescending finger at me, other hand firmly planted on her hip. She reminded me a lot of my mom.

"S-Sorry. My bad."

I forced those words out of my mouth, my brain getting much too hot for me to focus on anything else. Mahiru seemed satisfied with that, so she turned back to start walking.

"Mondo… can walk with us…"

It was very soft, but both Mahiru and I noticed it. Sayaka's gaze didn't rise to meet any of ours, and her face was still bummed, but there was no mistake, those were her words.

I spent some time walking with Mahiru and Sayaka.

* * *

It didn't feel like long, but we'd gone around so many times I guess the sun started setting.

"We should probably start walking back, I want to get her ready for bed at a decent time."

Mahiru looked up at me with her cool green eyes, "You're welcome to come with us if you like." She added with emphasis, "But _don't_ get any ideas, I'm not inviting you in!"

I crossed my arms, who the fuck did she think I was?

"Don't worry, I ain't like that." With a small smile, I gave her a thumbs up, "Hell yeah, I don't mind walking ya back!"

She smiled back, "Thanks!"

Guiding Sayaka by the arm, she turned towards the direction of the boardwalk, I flanked the other side of the idol as I'd done throughout the walk. People were starting to head back from the second island. I knew nobody would try anything stupid with Mahiru and me standing by, but just to make extra certain, I cast a few glares and flexed my arms a bit.

We didn't have any trouble.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Mahiru glancing at me. I swore I heard her giggle a little after I shot a menacing glance at Teruteru. I wonder what she thought was so funny…

When we reached Mahiru's room, she unlocked her door and walked Sayaka up to the frame. Before she could nudge her inside, the idol stopped and turned to face me, her hands were clutching each other and pressed tightly against her chest. Her facial expression had gone from hollow to somewhat structured, and I swore I saw the faintest of faint smiles,

"T-Thank you for w-walking…M-Mondo."

She turned around and walked back in. I felt a leap in my chest as I shot out a thumbs up she wouldn't see,

"Anytime, Sayaka!"

Mahiru leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, and a smile aimed at me.

"Really, thank you! That's the liveliest I've seen Sayaka since before the trial."

Her voice trailed off towards the end. That fucking trial. It made my blood boil to think that we just let that bear get away with doing that to Makoto, Toko, and now Sayaka! My fists curled, I could feel the adrenaline kicking in…

I need to punch something!

"Damn it!"

My fist met the mailbox I'd been leaning on, knocking it clean off the ground. I blinked and suddenly snapped back into reality, rubbing the back of my head apologetically I uttered,

"Shit…sorry 'bout that…"

To my surprise, Mahiru only sighed, "Geez, you sure have a lot of pent up anger, huh?" She shrugged, "It's fine though, I feel that way too sometimes."

"Yeah? But you're so…like… _chill_."

Her smile returned, although it was a bit sarcastic, "Yeah, because I learned early on that punching things doesn't make the world more fair."

I felt that.

"Still…it's good to punch something every now and then, ya know? Feels good. Releases stress."

"Well, yeah! But that doesn't mean you can just go around committing property damage, huh?"

Fuck.

"Uh, yeah, I guess you're right…"

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess I am."

We chuckled as I picked up the mailbox and did my best to put it firmly back in the ground. We spent the next 30 seconds smiling at each other, our eyes were like crossing a bridge or some shit like that.

"Well, again, thanks for hanging out with us. I should get in and start helping her get undressed. Nighttime will probably go on soon, so you should get to bed."

I shrugged, "Nah, I'm not feeling tired, I woke up late. I think I'm gonna go walk down the beach for a little bit."

She pursed her lips, "Well whatever, just make sure you don't stay up too late or you'll never get your normal pattern back!" She began closing the door until just her head was poking out, "Good night, Mondo."

"G'night Mahiru."

I heard the click of the lock and made my way down the boardwalk. Over the speakers I heard the damn announcement start to play.

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"Fuck that bear…"

Hands in my pocket, I strolled down to the beach. For the next hour, I just stood there, looking out over the vast ocean, bathing in moonlight and the salty night air. It should have been a peaceful feeling, but…I kept glancing over my shoulder, like a tick was crawling up my neck, a feeling I couldn't shake off too long when I turned back.

The feeling of being watched by something not entirely human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's been a while, but if it makes you feel any better I wasn't even updating on Fanfiction much during this time either.
> 
> I like coming back to this chapter from time to time. It's actually quite important in hindsight. We also get to test some of my more "out there" relationship moments, Kaede and Hiro, Sonia and Kiyo, Mahiru and Mondo. Some pretty interesting things started to develop from here that I hope you'll enjoy when I post the next chapters. 
> 
> I think it's around here that the real worldbuilding starts. A lot of my original ideas went out the window when I killed off Makoto last minute, so you might start to see some departure from ideas and points set up in the first chapter. Really, the first chapter of ILP is the weakest overall imo for this exact reason. The narrative becomes a lot more solid from here on out and I've started taking it more seriously than I did.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'll try to update soon!


	9. Pandora Unhinged: Daily Life pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Teruteru needs a fuckin' break, man.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day! Now then. Let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!"

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

When I woke up, 'Clair de Lune' was still playing in my head from my dream. I was back in a concert hall I'd been before, playing my heart out for a crowd of cheering spectators. I felt my eyes start to well up a bit as I realized I couldn't just go downstairs to my living room and hammer out any of my comfort songs. I felt utterly alone and forgotten. Without my piano, who was I? I didn't even know myself. It had been too long since I could relax my nerves to the sound of the ivory keys, the hidden mallets striking the cords of sound.

The reality of the situation made me want to go back to sleep. Back to the concert in my mind, where I was happy, where _everyone_ was happy…

No!

I can't lie here and cry myself back into my dreams! I have to keep moving forward! If I just sleep, my notes, the joyful applause, the melodies, they won't be _real_. I have to find a way out so I can enjoy those things again. _For real!_

With my confidence restored, I got dressed and headed to the dining hall.

* * *

"Oh Kaede, great, you're here!"

I hadn't even taken two steps into the dining hall before I was greeted by an exceptionally cheery Kaito. Behind him was a small gathering of the more outgoing island males: Hiro, Kazuichi, Nekomaru, and Teruteru. They were all grinning like maniacs, whispering and giggling like school girls trying to keep a secret. What was going on?

"Uh, hey Kaito, did I walk in on something?"

"No, not at all! I was just coming to get you, actually! C'mon, sit with us!"

I allowed the astronaut to usher me to the table. At the center was a plate of sausages I could only assume the chef had prepared.

Ah, I see, so we're having a sausage party…

Eww.

"Good morning, Kaede! Sleep well?"

Uhmm

"Yes I did, Teruteru, thank you." I responded trepidatiously to the chef's question.

With a sly grin, he slid the plate of sausages towards me,

"Here, _mon cheri_ , help yourself to Teruteru Hanamura's special sausages… you won't _believe_ the flavor I'm packing!"

Double eww.

With great inner turmoil, I gave into eating the sausage. It was, like literally everything he'd ever made, delicious as all heck. But he kept watching me with those…beady eyes, I felt flustered, like every bite I took was part of some perverted fantasy he was having right in front of me.

Fortunately, Kazuichi started eating another one, which drew the ultimate chef's gaze as I saw him undress the mechanic with his eyes. At least it wasn't me.

"So, Kaede, I was talkin' it over with the guys here, and we decided we're going to throw a beach party!"

Kaito's words snapped me back into a much more comfortable reality,

"A beach party!?"

Kazuichi muttered through mouthfuls of meat, "Y-Yeah! Don't you like that idea?"

Teruteru smacked him upside the head, "Chew with your damn mouth closed! I don't feed pigs, I _serve_ them!"

Kazuichi shut his mouth and chewed in silence.

"Oh, no, I love the idea! But how're you going to pull it off?"

Hiro placed a hand over his heart, "Well, we got the beach house, right? So I was thinking we could move those chairs out onto the porch! Plus, there's a bunch of wires and stuff, we find a couple of trees or something and make a volleyball net! Oh and also-!"

Teruteru shoved a sausage into his mouth, cutting the clairvoyant off. "The diner is just at the beach's edge, I could serve up somethin' sweet for a snack! Cool and refreshing, we'll need it with how _hot_ we're gonna get out in the sun!"

Even when he was being helpful, Teruteru was a lot to deal with.

Kazuichi finished his sausage, "I just wish I found something we could play some music on… speakers, antenna, wires, _anything_ …"

"I wish there were a piano, I know a few jaunty swings I could've played."

"What're you crazy cats talkin' about, hm? There's a jukebox in my diner!"

Kazuichi's eyes lit up, his cheeks turned bright pink as he turned to Teruteru almost squealing, "A _jukebox?!_ Why didn't you mention it?!"

Teruteru pouted, "You were there, weren't you?! I thought you already knew about it!"

I hadn't stayed long in the diner, so I hadn't seen the jukebox. But I believed the chef, who'd probably been in there more than anyone else.

Hiro chuckled, "Well hey, there we go! We got ourselves a wild party!"

I beamed, "This is great guys, I'm so glad we're doing this!"

Kaito grinned, "This is exactly what everyone needs right now! I'm gonna be counting on all of you to help me pull this off, got it?"

I nodded, as did the four boys around the table. Nekomaru grabbed the remaining sausages and shoved them into his mouth,

"Gah! I feel the adrenaline! You're all goin' down at beach volleyball! Gaaahhhh!"

While spewing chunks of sausage, Nekomaru in his passion lifted the table and threw it clear across the room. The force sent Teruteru, Kazuichi, and Hiro spiraling backwards, with Kaito and I just barely being missed. There was a sickening crunch and I heard Teruteru scream. My heart stopped for a split second as I feared the worst-

"Ahhh! My plate! You smashed my plate!"

-god, why do I bother with this guy?

"What the _hell_ is going on in here?"

Five heads turned, while the sixth remained mourning the loss of his porcelain. Byakuya Togami stood with his arms crossed and an expression of shock covering his usually smug face.

"Oh, hey Toga, we're just plannin' our beach party for later today!"

Where was Kaito coming up with these names?

"Ignoring your disregard for my family name, answer me this: what the hell kind of a meeting involves chucking a table halfway across a dining room?"

"I dunno, man, it was Nekomaru…"

I didn't know if it was surprising or not, but Byakuya accepted that answer from the mechanic and made his way over to a smaller table on the other side of the wreckage.

"What's on the menu today, Teruteru?"

The chef glanced over at the scion. I could feel a certain kind of tension that manifested between the two after the latter tried to frame the former for the murder of our friend. I could see it was taking the chef a lot of effort to maintain a calm and dignified grace. I guess I never thought about it, but after Sayaka, Teruteru probably had had the roughest time here so far. Yet here he'd been, not just moments ago but the past two days as far as she could tell, behaving as close to normal as he could get.

But I could see the thin veneer, as disgusting as he may have been, Teruteru was still human, he still got hurt, he still had feelings. I could feel that he was bearing an incredible burden on his shoulders, pushing aside all of that in order to keep providing us all with 3-star meals. He could've chosen to snap back at Byakuya, and we'd all understand that, even join him. He could have broken down like Sayaka and nobody would have judged him for it. But he didn't, he hadn't, he was actively choosing the high road.

And in this moment, I watched as he chose once again to be the bigger man.

"I've prepared homestyle-beef sausages. There's some leftover oatmeal too, if you wish, I can heat it up no problem for you."

" _Homestyle?_ That sounds very… _rural_."

Teruteru froze. I watched as his nostrils flared and his chest puffed up, before deflating thirty seconds later.

"Yes, it's a fam- it's a _famous_ dish, featured on Anthony Bourdain's traveling show-"

" _Anthony Bourdain?_ Isn't his show about him just making snide remarks about disgusting local cuisines?" Teruteru clenched his fist and repeated his breathing exercise. The scion either didn't notice or didn't care, "Don't trouble yourself. Just make my coffee, please."

Well, he at least said 'please'.

The chef gave a low bow and turned on his heels straight to the kitchen, not another word.

Kaito and Kazuichi helped Nekomaru move the table back. The three boys, plus Hiro looked at each other and at me. None of us looked at Byakuya, who didn't say anything, likely engrossed in the book he brought with him.

"I'll get Mondo to help Kazuichi with the jukebox, in the meantime, do you think you can show Nekomaru and I what you wanted to use as the net?"

Kazuichi nodded, Kaito gave a thumbs up,

"Awesome! Kaede, you go with Hiro to set up the beach house, got it? When you're done, if one of you could check up on Teruteru, see if he needs any help with snacks and beverages," he added with a slightly lowered voice, "Make sure he's… ya know…" his eyes pointed towards Byakuya. Hiro and I gave our physical assent. Another thumbs up, "Great, I knew I could count on all my sidekicks!"

Sidekick?

"Hey, wait, I thought _I_ was your sidekick?"

"Kazuichi, an important part of sidekick training is learning how to get along with other sidekicks! Can't have that lesson without other sidekicks, can we?"

The mechanic, who seemed a bit dejected, scratched his chin, "Uhm, well… _no_ …but-"

"Alright guys, we gotta get a move on if we're gonna get this party going!"

With that, Kaito was gone, flying as fast as the speed of light. The rest of us looked between each other and one by one, filed out to our respective jobs. Still, should we have left Teruteru behind, all alone with Byakuya?

My mind was put at some ease as I saw Mukuro walking towards the dining hall. She didn't like Teruteru, but she didn't like Byakuya either. That was somewhat reassuring to me.

Peeling off from the group, I headed back to the beach house with Hiro.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Mahiru Koizumi**

There was an uncharacteristically heavy atmosphere already prevalent when Sayaka and I walked into the cafeteria. Byakuya cast a sideways glance as he passed by us on the stairs, which had helped to set that mood, it wasn't hard to figure out he was likely a contributor to that tension.

Teruteru was in the kitchen, though the glimpses I caught of him showed that he was much more focused on his food than flirting with anyone who walked by and breathed in his direction. I liked that he wasn't doing that, but figured I probably wouldn't like _why_. Mukuro sat eating off to the side of the hall, silently, by herself. Celeste too was sipping her tea in silence, at the table we normally sat out. But she wasn't alone, in fact, the two people sitting next to her were the only two seemingly unaffected by the tense mood.

"How marvelous! I have come across Mohenjo Daro in my studies of ancient civilizations, but my knowledge seems like ignorance next to yours!"

"Kehehe…Princess, you flatter me! I'm certain that your resources are far more impressive than a man of humble origins such as myself…"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Celeste didn't seem to understand it either, although she continued to smile as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Korekiyo had joined Sonia at our table, and seemed to be rather enjoying himself, as did the princess. It certainly wasn't a friendship I thought was very likely, yet here I was witnessing it firsthand.

When the anthropologist saw us approaching the table, he suddenly got up and bowed his head. It was difficult to read his expression with his face half-covered, and his voice was measured as always, if not just a touch alarmed,

"Ah, forgive me Mahiru. I, of course, did not intend to take your seat…I was just finishing a conversation with the princess…"

I kind of felt bad, he clearly thought I was upset, "No, Kiyo, it's fine, you can sit here! We don't mind, right Sayaka?"

I'm not sure the pop idol was in a strong enough mindset to be entirely comfortable with a man of Korekiyo's appearance. She took one look at him and stared at the floor, betraying any sense of ease I wanted to convey to the anthropologist.

"No, I overstayed my welcome…enjoy your meal, Mahiru. Sayaka," he tried making eye contact with the idol, but upon observing her state, he quickly bowed again, "I…hope you…feel better soon…"

Before Sonia or I could protest, he was gone.

Hesitating a bit, I took my seat, Sayaka followed closely behind, setting our plates down softly and starting our meals. She was eating a lot more frequently, less playing with her food. That was a good sign, a very good sign. It meant that slowly, Sayaka Maizono was regaining her will to live.

Sonia had quieted down a bit after Korekiyo left, prompting a casual glance from Celeste, before she sipped her tea cup and began her own conversation.

"My my, Sonia! You and Korekiyo seem to be getting along rather well!" she chirped with innocence, but there was some sort of malice dripping from her heavily accented words. I wasn't fond of her, and this was part of the reason why. I held my tongue a little, hoping that Sonia wouldn't fall into her trap.

"Huh? Oh, yes, Kiyo is a very knowledgeable young man, I enjoy talking with him very much…"

"I see. Well, I can't say I see him as someone fit for a princess," she placed a hand over her mouth, "But, I suppose anyone is a step up from a _mechanic_ , don't you think?"

The look on Sonia's face, and to an extent, probably mine, was complete confusion and alarm. Confusion more having to do with why she would bring up Kazuichi and alarm at the implications being launched by the gambler. With a more stern look on my face, I intervened before Sonia could react verbally,

"Who Sonia hangs out with is really none of your business, is it, Celeste?"

Her red eyes turned to focus on me. I almost felt like she was digging into my soul.

"Oh? But is it not? From one European noblewoman to another, I am simply offering my opinions. Of course, I would not expect anyone of _your_ background to quite understand!"

Ah?! _My_ background? What was her goal in all of this? Was she suddenly like Byakuya, trying to wave her blood connections over us like we were some kind of peasants? I could feel my cheeks redden with anger, I wanted so badly to tell her off, but I wanted even _more_ to make sure that Sayaka didn't get scared. She may have been getting better, but even the smallest trigger could undo all that healing, and that was something I was not going to let happen.

Celeste could read that, I could feel her reading my thoughts. She smiled a little more smugly, when she realized there was nothing further I was going to do. Sonia, meanwhile, had no such thoughts in place in her head, only ones to clear her name,

"Korekiyo and I are just friends, Celeste! I do not care for your implications!"

"Oh? And what of Kazuichi? How does he feel about your 'friendship' with Korekiyo?"

Sonia fell further into the trap, "It makes no difference what his opinions are, we are not close enough for him to have such feelings!"

Celeste tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness, "So, you would not even say that you and Kazuichi are friends? Is that what you mean to say?"

"Please, cease this at once!"

"I am merely trying to understand, it is customary for _normal_ girls, is it not? To discuss their relationships with boys with other girls?"

I let the sausage fall from my hand and onto the table. Celeste used _that_ word.

"Uh, well…I see…if that is what _normal_ girls do, then I suppose it could not hurt to admit it." She cast an introspective glance at her plate, "If I had to phrase it using such terms, then no, I do not consider Kazuichi more than an acquaintance…no more than I would consider a classmate or a peer with whom I share little interest…"

Sonia looked up at me, although I didn't notice it. I only assumed that she must have looked up and seen my face to have allowed her to react the way she would in a few moments.

My eyes were glued in horror and embarrassment to the startled face of Kazuichi Soda, who had just walked into the dining hall at precisely the worst time he could. Sonia turned her head, then her body, and jumped out of her chair with a sense of guilt coating her voice.

"Kazuichi! H-How long have you been standing there?!"

The mechanic took a small step back and rubbed the nape of his neck, "Oh, uh, nothing…I mean, I haven't, just I-uhm…Miss…Sonia?"

Her hands clasped her mouth, "Oh, no, please do not misunderstand Kazuichi! I did not mean-" she took a step forward, but the mechanic took another step back, clearly shocked and unsure of what to do. Whatever he was thinking, it was apparent he wasn't expecting to hear his crush discussing how little she thought of him. It was a moment that slowed down so perfectly, but one I would never want to record for posterity.

"I…uh, Kaito…getting, ahem, water for uh…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but only stumbled over a chair and walked past our table, without a second look at any of us. The four of us watched as Kazuichi got two glasses of water from Teruteru and briskly walked out of the dining hall without a further word. There was only one person who had the audacity to break the silence with a quaint giggle,

"My my, that _was_ embarrassing. I did not think he had it in himself to be more klutzy and useless than he already was…"

Sonia was too stunned to register what had happened, Sayaka seemed deeply uncomfortable, and I was doing everything I could to hold back my anger for her sake. Celeste, as always, read the room perfectly. With a polite smile, she stood up,

"I shall be in my room for a little while. Have a nice day!"

Teruteru came by a couple minutes later, without a word without a glance towards us, and picked up our dishes, including Celeste's tea cup.

"I-I think I shall go to the library…I need to…walk…"

Sonia left with a polite courtesy but a clearly troubled look on her face. I assumed she intended to meet with Korekiyo, which was a move I understood but was wary of given what had just happened. I calmed my nerves with an inhale and turned, with my best smile, to face Sayaka,

"So, what do you want to do today?"

I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or playfully copying me, but she repeated my actions and turned to me with a faint smile,

"I'd like to take a walk around the second island, if you don't mind!"

Her voice rose slightly above a whisper, it was soft and demure, but somehow felt that much stronger. It made my smile that much more real.

"Okay then, let's go!"

* * *

**Free Time Event**

**Sayaka and I went to Chandler Beach**

* * *

The beach somehow seemed more scenic on this island than the first one. I didn't know much about beaches, but that's how I felt about it. Sayaka seemed to agree, a cute little smile playing at her lips as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty breeze. I couldn't help myself, my fingers instinctively curled around my camera so as to capture the moment.

I spent some time at the beach with Sayaka.

* * *

We walked for a while, up and down the shoreline in total silence. The only noise we needed was the vibrancy of nature reminding us that we belonged to the earth. That mother nature cared for us as long as we cared for her. I found myself taking more pictures of Sayaka as our time went on, I hadn't got many of her from before the trial, and I hadn't gotten any since.

We didn't have to say anything to each other, but I felt like we communicated quite clearly. Sayaka trusted me, almost completely. Whenever she would glance at me, usually after I'd snap a picture of her, I could see in her eyes her appreciation, and while she couldn't quite muster the words, I could feel her saying "thank you" so many times it should have lost meaning.

But no matter how many times she said it, or emoted it, it would never lose meaning. She must have seen that in my eyes, because as we made our way back up the beach, she suddenly stopped and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into her gratitude and affection. I pulled her back in, and we stood there embracing for what felt like an eternity. It was as if she was scared that if she let go, she would not remember the comforting feeling of the arms of someone who loved you. I can only assume that she must have felt she never would have, until now.

I didn't need words to understand how much I'd bonded with Sayaka.

I only hoped it would last.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kazuichi Soda**

If I were to just tweak it like…this…yeah, oh yeah! Okay, then turn this bad boy right…oh, fuck yeah! This will work! Holy shit, this is going to work!

"Hey man, brought the thing you wanted. Better be worth it, Monokuma nearly tore my ass off for it."

I was quickly pulled out of my comfort zone when the ultimate biker walked through the doors of the airport carrying the plank from the seesaw.

"Where'd ya want it?"

I pointed over to a spot where my other tools were sitting prepared for the seesaw. Mondo nodded and set it down.

"So, whatcha workin' on now?"

"..."

"Hey, pinko, don't fuckin' ignore me!"

"Huh?! Oh, sorry, what did you say?"

I genuinely hadn't heard him. I was devoting all my time and attention to my work. I figured the more time I spent tinkering in my world the less time I had to worry about thinking in the other world. Mondo sighed,

"I just asked what the hell you were workin' on."

"Oh! This? It's a power toaster."

His eyes went wide, "A…power…toaster?"

I nodded, "That's what I said."

"Why the fuck are you making that?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. Might be cool to try catching it with my mouth."

"Oh…right on."

I continued to tinker with the toaster while Mondo fell silent. Although I wasn't looking, I knew he was still there. I could feel him awkwardly shifting around where he stood.

"So, like…can I watch?"

Without looking at him, I stopped for a split second before shrugging my shoulders, "Sure, I guess."

"Cool…thanks."

"Y-yeah…no problem."

Mondo popped a squat right in front of me, casting his gaze directly at the toaster while I fiddled with it.

I spent some time trying not to get distracted by Mondo's pompadour while he watched me fiddle with a toaster.

* * *

After I'd finished with my toaster, Mondo insisted on helping me with my next project. We spent time modifying the seesaw into a stable, portable catapult, and eventually, the work was over twice as quickly as I'd wanted it to be.

I found myself walking halfway across the bridge when my mind suddenly snapped back to attention.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

Damn it, Mondo's been trying to get my attention?! How long has that been going on?

"Uh…sorry, what were you saying?"

"Tch, that proves it then. What the hell is up, man? You've been acting fuckin' weird lately."

I didn't want to be thinking about it, I knew I shouldn't have been so affected by it, but still…

"Oh, it's…you could say that I'm having… _girl_ …problems…"

Mondo chuckled, "I know _that_ feeling…"

More silence progressed as we loaded the catapult and the toaster on the porch until it would be time to set them up. We passed by Nekomaru and Kaito who were setting up the volleyball net. My next instincts told me to go to the diner and start working on the jukebox. Naturally, Mondo followed.

"So, this is how you deal with your problems, huh?"

I'd already began to zone him out while I unplugged the jukebox, but he managed to pull me out before I could,

"W-What?"

Mondo shrugged, "Nah, I don't wanna…look man, I'm not much of a 'talk about your feelings' kinda guy, so don't get the wrong idea. And I sure as hell ain't the guy to turn to for chick advice…but, you ain't like me, so maybe try…I dunno, like, _talking_ to her?"

I squinted, "What do you mean 'I'm not like you'? What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

I didn't mean to sound so offended, but I guess I truthfully really was. How could this asshole just come in here and tell me how to think and act, how could he be such a dick as to try and understand what he's obviously not going through? It took one look at him, though, to make me regret snapping and rushing to those judgements.

"D-Damn it, man! I just mean, don't fuckin' _act_ like me, alright? Chicks like it when you talk to them about feelings and shit, I suck at that! So, like…don't try acting all tough and distant…gh, fuck you man!"

"W-Wha? Fuck _me?_ Fuck _you!_ "

"What the hell is going on in here?"

My face had grown red, half from anger, half from embarrassment, Mondo's was much the same. We likely would have gone on back and forth like that for a while, luckily, Kaito had entered before we could.

"We were just-"

"He just…I-"

We looked at each other, then away, then at Kaito, then at the floor. The astronaut laughed at our obvious discomfort, propped his foot up on a chair and rested his chin in an inquisitive position on his hand.

"Sounds to me like you were having a man-to-man discussion! But it also sounds like, you guys need some help interpreting each other, that right?" He didn't wait for a response, probably because we didn't know how to give him one, "Ha, it so is, isn't it!? Well, alright, I'm here! What seems to be the problem?"

Unlike with Mondo, there was a certain ease with Kaito that compelled me forward. I told him about my conversation with the biker, who added on how I was trying to ignore him earlier. Kaito quickly uncovered the truth of the matter, as I revealed the event that I'd witnessed when I went to get him some water from the dining hall. Still, as much as I trusted Kaito, it was hard to admit all this, he had to nudge and prod, but he finally got a clearer picture of what I was feeling. When I'd finished, he took some time stroking his chin in deep thought before finally giving me this,

"Sounds to me like you've been having a problem communicating with Sonia."

I resented that, "H-Hey, but I've made it pretty clear that I like her-"

" _Exactly!_ You've already jumped that far without even waiting to get to know her better! You can't expect any girl to reciprocate your base feelings without some sort of connection! How would you feel if some random girl came up to you and started hitting on you outta the blue? It'd be pretty uncomfortable right?"

I don't think I would mind… but, I see his point. I nodded.

"Right, so why should she feel comfortable when all you do is follow her around and compliment her? Which is another thing: stop treating yourself with such low self-respect! If you can't respect yourself and treat her like your equal, why should she?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I didn't expect Kaito to be such a love guru, yet here he was, stating what my gut told me was obvious. I mentally kicked myself for not realizing it before. Kaito placed a hand on my shoulder,

"Hey, it's not too late, though! I believe in you! All you gotta do is _talk_ to her, like an equal! Get to know her better, let her get to know you better, and it'll all work out like it should!"

Still, I was nervous.

"But…what if she still likes Kiyo more than me?"

Kaito's smile softened, but his eyes were still burning with confidence, "Then ya gotta move on."

I didn't want him to say that, but I knew, deep down, that he was right. I took a deep breath. The astronaut shook me.

"Hey, no matter what, I got your back! You're my sidekick after all, it's my job to have your back!"

I fiddled with my ratchet and gave Kaito a weak smile, "Thanks, Kaito…"

I spent the rest of my time in the diner fixing that jukebox, Kaito's words weighing heavily on me. I was deeply focused on my work, but I wasn't distracted. I kept asking for advice on what to say and how to say it, Kaito helped me and Mondo to an extent. It was a conversation between men.

I guess you could say that the three of us bonded. I think we all understood each other much more after that.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Teruteru Hanamura**

Damn it, damn it, damn, it!

Where the _hell_ are those melons?!

Melons?

…

Damn it! I'm too pissed to think of anything raunchy to think of!

"Damn it!"

I whispered to myself with such intensity. I didn't know if anyone was still in the dining hall, last I saw there wasn't, but I didn't want to risk losing my cool in front of anyone. Still, I was supposed to go to the diner soon, but if I couldn't find the fruits I was looking for, I wasn't going to be doing much good there anyway.

"Need some help?"

The voice was feminine, no doubt about it, but it had such a strong and forceful tone, I nearly thought it was male. Turning around, it was very clear that it had come from the ultimate soldier: Mukuro Ikusaba. I had to watch out for her…

"Oh, it's nothing! Just looking for a couple of _melons_ is all!"

Maybe if I flirt with her, she'll leave me alone? That seems to work every other time…

"Where did you check?"

Wait, what?

As she said that, she walked straight into the pantry, crossing her arms and scanning it intently.

"W-Well, I checked in there, b-but-"

"Come on, let's check again."

I spent some time searching for a couple of melons and other things with Mukuro.

* * *

It took her no time at all to find those melons, I was a bit flustered when she handed them to me with a stoic look on her face, not betraying what she was thinking. Soon, she was going through the kitchen looking for things I'd been looking for, but couldn't seem to find. When we'd gotten everything, she helped me pack them up and carry them to the diner. We couldn't have taken more than a few steps out of the hotel when I realized I hadn't thanked her for helping me.

"T-Thank you for helping me, Mukuro."

"Don't mention it."

We walked a little further in more silence.

"Mukuro?"

"Yes?"

"Why _did_ you help me?"

She answered all the time looking forward and resolute as ever, her face never once betrayed her thoughts, which was a pity. I considered myself quite able to spot someone's weaknesses, but I couldn't read hers.

"You looked like you could use it."

"I see…"

More silence followed and I tried to ask another question. She had anticipated this,

"If you're going to ask how I noticed, I just did." She was going to leave it there, but then added, "when the ultimate chef doesn't know his way around his kitchen, something's up."

That was a sound argument.

We made it to the diner without any further discussion. She set the crates she was carrying on the ground just outside the door. Before she left, she turned to me, face never changing, and said,

"You're a surprisingly strong man, Teruteru. But don't let Byakuya treat you like his inferior. He enjoys your cooking, he just doesn't know how not to be an ass about it."

I smiled and with a slight bow admitted, "It's nice to hear you say that."

She started walking away, "Don't let it get to your head."

The soldier was already a ways away before I muttered under my hot breath,

"Oh, but I'll let you get to _my_ head any day, Mukuro!"

Still, as short as that was, I felt I had bonded a little with Mukuro. Suddenly in a better mood, I began humming to myself as I opened the diner door.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

I scanned the beach, a sense of pride waving over me as I saw the final product.

Nekomaru and Kaito had taken some fish net they found in the hotel's storage closet and draped it over some cords they found in the airport, attaching one end to the porch and the other on a palm tree at the edge of the beach. Kazuichi and Mondo moved the jukebox outside onto the porch, using an extension cord to connect it inside. There was already an upbeat rock song playing, the sounds stretching across the beach. Kazuichi had also set up a power toaster on the deck and a catapult for launching sodas. It seemed a bit excessive, but I didn't question it.

Hiro was a surprisingly good decorator, at least, in terms of brainstorming ideas. When it came to the actual organization, I had to help him keep his ideas from being a total mess. We worked surprisingly well together, crafting and draping festive, summer themed decorations across the beach and over the house.

Teruteru found a grill and was currently preparing meats to be served kebab-style later. He seemed in a better mood than that morning, which both encouraged and frightened me. I was glad to see him in better spirits, but was careful to keep my distance.

We were already in our beachwear: Mondo and Hiro wore shorts with a tank top, Kaito and Nekomaru were shirtless, Kazuichi seemed debating whether or not to remove his shirt, Teruteru wore an apron and shorts, and I wore my blue one piece.

Kaito and Nekomaru went to fetch everyone else, some people trickled in on their own accord or at their behest. Sonia and Korekiyo walked in together, they'd just been in the library and seemed to be deep in conversation. Sonia glanced up and, upon seeing Kazuichi, averted her attention back to Kiyo. Kazuichi did much of the same, deciding to pull his beanie over his forehead and return to fiddling with his gadgets.

Mahiru and Sayaka came in just behind them. I could see a bit of color returning to Sayaka's cheeks and light into her eyes, which replaced my previous concern for Kazuichi and Sonia. Mondo and Hiro went out to greet them.

"Hey, Saya! Nice to see ya smilin' again!"

She continued smiling. The clairvoyant took out a large, pristine looking conch shell and handed it to the idol.

"I was gonna sell this later, but I figured you might want it instead, ya know, to cheer ya up?"

She delicately took the conch and admired it, "Ah, thank you, Hiro!"

Her voice was still weak, but she seemed to have more strength behind it. Mondo rubbed the back of his head nervously,

"Uh, I was just gonna give ya a soda…er- both of you, I mean! Gah! Fuck, I forgot to open it!"

Mahiru giggled reaching for the sodas, "Thanks, Mondo, but I can-"

"No! I mean, uh, just…let me go…"

I watched the biker stutter as he tried to keep his composure, and he was trying _really_ hard. Mahiru looked slightly taken aback by the outburst as Mondo's face grew more purple and strained. Finally, he turned around and walked back to the beach house, with the sodas.

Real smooth, Mondo.

Mahiru and Sayaka came to stand by me on the porch.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Sayaka!"

The idol looked over at me, seemingly unsure of how to react before finally settling on a small smile, "Thank you, Kaede!"

I think she still felt somewhat conflicted about our relationship. We hadn't exactly been on the best terms since…well, come to think of it, we'd always been kind of at each other's throats. I could only imagine how far we would have let our petty fights over Makoto last if he were only still…maybe she was thinking the same thing, right now.

Mondo came back outside and handed two open soda bottles to Mahiru and Sayaka, who took them gratefully. The photographer took a sip of hers, "Thanks, Mondo!"

"Tch, yeah, no problem." His gaze suddenly fell on me and his eyes went wide with anger, "Goddamit, I didn't see ya there, Kaede!"

Realizing he was upset he hadn't gotten me a soda, I tried to calm him down, "Oh, no, that's okay Mondo, I-"

But he drowned out my protests with his cursing as he stormed back into the beach house, only to reappear an awkward silence later with yet another soda. I really didn't want one, but I wasn't going to tell Mondo that.

I took a small sip and forced a smile, "Mm, thanks Mondo!"

"Y-Yeah…" Mondo looked around, suddenly becoming self-aware to his actions and let loose a large, disappointed sigh, "Jesus fuckin' Christ…" muttering to himself, he walked down the steps of the porch and out of earshot.

I shared a quick glance with Mahiru as if to say, "Well, that's Mondo!"

* * *

Kaito and Nekomaru showed up with Celeste, Byakuya, and Mukuro much later, by which time, the rest of us had gotten into appropriate beach attire and already helped ourselves to some tropical juice-blend and Teruteru-kebabs. The sun was starting to set, painting the horizon in all the shades of color imaginable. There was already a comfortable hum, albeit certain people were avoiding others, but with the return of Kaito and Nekomaru, the atmosphere livened up almost tenfold. There was only so much energy Hiro and I could exert, after all.

"Alright, guys! Before it gets too dark, we gotta have our volleyball match! We'll be in teams of seven, okay? Nekomaru and I will be team captains, unless there are any objections?"

Byakuya had one, "I agreed to come out of my way to your stupid party, I'm _not_ going to play in the sand with you too."

Celeste had another, "I am afraid that, as much as I would love to play, I cannot in my current condition. I have not been feeling quite myself today."

"Hm, if you need help feeling yourself-"

"I did not _ask_."

Well, I can at least respect Celeste for _that_.

Before anyone said anything further, the scion and gambler made their ways to the porch, taking a couple kebabs and some juice with them from Teruteru.

Although Kaito was clearly upset, he didn't see any reason to fret over their refusal to play, he'd anticipated that. For most everyone else, though, the activity was quite welcome. For Sonia, it was so much more than that,

"Yes! I am so ready! This will be such a wonderful experience! I cannot wait to get down on my hands and knees and cover myself with dirt!"

Uhm, what?

"Quick, someone say something before Teruteru can!"

"Hey!"

Even shirtless, Kiyo had chosen to wear his mask. He was surprisingly muscular, which seemed to make Kazuichi even less certain about whether or not to remove his tank top. He glanced down at Sonia, who was vibrating with energy, and seemed to be seriously considering if he wanted to get involved in the volleyball game.

"Tch, you expect me to actually do sporty shit in my free time? Do I look like some preppy jockstrap?"

Mondo's comments were more for himself, but Nekomaru instantly took offense to them, "Sports are only for the _strong_ so I get why you would be so hesitant…"

Oh snap.

"Hey, are you callin' me _weak?_ "

"Of course not! I'm just callin' you a _coward!_ "

Nekomaru, no!

Mondo's pompadour was pressed up against Nekomaru's forehead as he stared him down, "I'll make you eat those fuckin words, asshole! I'll fuckin' show _you!_ "

Nekomaru laughed, "Do you really think you have what it _takes_ to out _man_ me?! That's laughable! I'll chew you and squeeze you out my ass and you'll be the tiniest little shit that's ever come outta me, ya hear?!"

Okay, so that's where Nekomaru's trash talk lost me…

"You're fuckin' _on!_ "

Kaito intervened, "Well, I guess Mondo's on my team then! Nekomaru, you get the next pick, buddy!"

"Sonia! I enjoy your fighting spirit! Embrace me!"

"Yes! Okay!"

As the team manager lifted the princess and spun her around like a rag doll, Kazuichi begged silently for Kaito not to pick him,

"Of course, I would've picked ya first, but oh well, come over here, Kazuu!"

Kazuichi scowled as he walked to the opposite side of the net. I could see he was only thinking that as long as-

"Korekiyo! Do you wish for me to unlock your true potential? Your body excites me!"

Kazuichi caught none of the breaks.

Kiyo looked taken aback, I think he definitely never imagined he would get picked before last, maybe he thought he had more time to decide. But I watched as his eyes flitted between Sonia, who beamed at him, and Nekomaru, who was dangerously close to him.

"...Very well."

Tonight was a night of precedence.

Kaito's team ended up including Mondo, Kazuichi, Mukuro, me and Teruteru. Nekomaru ended up with Sonia, Korekiyo, Hiro, Mahiru, and Sayaka.

The game began with a serve from Mondo, winding up, he glared straight at Nekomaru, who glared straight back. He tossed the ball up into the air and slammed it as hard as he could. The ball went sailing with tremendous force and landed with an incredible impact-

"OW!"

-straight into Teruteru's back. The ball shoved the chef to the ground and rebounded just as quickly back at Mondo's face. Nekomaru roared with laughter,

"Ha! Point team Nekomaru!"

Mondo snapped, "Hey, that doesn't count! I get a redo!"

"How many redos do you think you'll need before you're ready, coward?"

"Fuck you!"

"Give me the ball!"

"You want the fuckin' ball? Here! Have the fuckin' ball!"

Mondo screamed as he charged forward and threw the ball with all his force straight at Nekomaru, who caught it with great ease. The biker fumed.

"Hey, Mondo, ya gotta calm down, alright?"

"I _am_ fuckin' calm!"

"..."

"!"

"..."

"!.. gh! Fine…'kay, I'm calm now, see? Can I kick his ass now?"

Kaito appeared unconvinced, but shrugged and nodded towards Nekomaru, who promptly served the ball magnificently over the net. Teruteru, who managed to recover, set the ball to Kaito, who spiked it down across the net.

The ball returned to our side, Mondo stooped to pick it up but received a glare from…well, all of us.

"Uh, y'know what…maybe someone _else_ can serve?"

Taking the ball, I switched places with Mondo, took a deep breath and put the ball into play.

The game lasted a good while, with neither side becoming too dominant. I have to say, I impressed myself with how well I'd managed to play, I could safely say I was one of my team's stronger players. Kaito, no surprise did well, and even Kazuichi and Teruteru held their own. The star of our team, of course, was Mukuro, who with deadly precision and quick instincts managed to give us the lead more than once. Mondo, while a powerful hitter, never seemed to be able to shake his anger and couldn't focus properly on his aiming, which was a weakness Nekomaru was all too happy to exploit.

Overall, Nekomaru's team wasn't particularly strong, and he ended up carrying most of them by the end. Sonia and Hiro started with passion and intent, but that energy quickly faded as it became clear to both of them that they weren't particularly good at the game. Kiyo gave a valiant effort, but, like Mondo, didn't seem to possess much other than the raw muscle to hit the ball hard. His hand-eye coordination was sloppy, and he was too often the victim of Kazuichi's sneaky spikes to his vicinity. At least that helped with the mechanic's ego. Mahiru and Sayaka never expected to do well, both of them kind of stood off to the side, rushing in on occasion when Nekomaru got caught off guard. There were a couple moments, however, when Sayaka allowed herself to be lifted into the air by the team manager in order to spike the ball down onto our side. After each successful attempt, Nekomaru would embrace her and shower her with praise, even though we all knew most of the time we let her score.

So in the end, it came down to the six of us versus Nekomaru, which puts it into context just how well-ordered the team manager was. Try as we might, even Mukuro was no match for his determination and ethic, and we lost by three points.

Mondo, who played the worst on our team, was the most devastated and Mukuro, who played the best, was the least devastated. The biker spent the rest of the evening trying to dodge lectures from the team manager, who insisted he should put some effort into honing rather than just building muscle.

Kaito and Hiro built a campfire as the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon. Kazuichi whipped out marshmallows, taking kebab sticks from Teruteru and distributing them. When he handed his to Sonia, he stopped suddenly. The two stared at one another, an awkward silence pursued. Finally, the mechanic cleared his throat,

"Uhm…Miss Sonia?"

"Y-yes Kazuichi?"

"Would you…like to roast marshmallows with me?"

The princess looked down at the marshmallows, then up at Kazuichi with a polite smile and small nod, "I would love to! I have never roasted marshmallows before."

She took a marshmallow and a stick and Kazuichi led her to the fire. She paused, "Wait, Kazuichi…"

"Y-Yes, Miss Sonia?"

The eyes of the two teens glistened with a longing to bridge the gap between them and reconcile their differences. They wanted to talk to each other and learn to understand one another, maybe as no more than just friends.

But that was going to have to wait.

"Upupupupu! Are you guys having a party without me? How sad! This must be how Maleficent felt when she wasn't invited to the princess' christening!"

The damn bear showed up, reminding us that we weren't living in a normal world where we were allowed to just be teenagers.

Kaito scowled, "Of course you're not invited! I oughta remove you myself!"

Mukuro stepped in front of him, shaking her head. The astronaut slightly calmed down, but only just.

"Aww, hey now! Don't be soooo mean to your old headmaster! He's not the bear he used to be, but he still knows how to crash a party!"

Byakuya stood up, glaring at Monokuma, "Not that I was enjoying myself, but what are you doing here?"

"Upupupu, why, you didn't forget about the killing game did you? I'm here to deliver your next motive!"

Our next motive…?

Hiro snapped at the bear, "Well, what if we don't _want_ your motive?"

"Upupupu, you're gonna want this one…"

"Not if we don't take it!"

Hiro announced triumphantly before receiving a beep from his e-handbook. Curious, he took it out of his pocket and looked at it. Suddenly, his face went wide with horror. Before anyone could ask him why, we received a notification on our own e-handbooks and found out for ourselves.

Shaking, I hesitantly turned it on. Flashing my name, there was a notification flag on the top corner. I knew I shouldn't, but something inside me felt drawn to it…like I needed to know, or else I could never stay sane. The desire to find out what that little flag was trying to show me would drive me crazier than if I just ended my curiosity right now.

Against my better judgment, I opened the notification. What I read sent chills through my spine:

**Kaede Akamatsu's Personal Motive Video!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way back in my less sophisticated years, I was writing an SYOC Killing game that I never finished. I got to the first murder and the investigation but never made it to the trial. The story was a cross over with Total Drama, featuring Camp Wawanakwa as the murder grounds and Chris McClean as the Monokuma figure. Towards the end of the chapter, the characters decided to hold a beach party in order to keep an eye on everyone, and during that, Chris, ever the game show host, forced them to play a rousing game of volleyball where one character was pitted against six or seven. That one character (being my own OP OC) dominated the game in similar fashion to Nekomaru, even though he was much closer in attitude to Mondo. The chapter ended with one of the characters being poisoned and the investigation started the next chapter. All this to say that I wrote this chapter completely independent of having written that. I just find it funny that I'm so naturally drawn to beach parties and volleyball in killing game stories. We all have our staples as writers, right?
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think so far!


	10. Pandora Unhinged: Daily Life pt 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Kaede sees something she won't forget?

Shaking, I hesitantly turned it on. Flashing my name, there was a notification flag on the top corner. I knew I shouldn't, but something inside me felt drawn to it… like I needed to know, or else I could never stay sane. The desire to find out what that little flag was trying to show me would drive me crazier than if I just ended my curiosity right now.

Against my better judgment, I opened the notification. What I read sent chills through my spine:

**Kaede Akamatsu's Personal Motive Video!**

The screen was black, and over it I heard the voice of Monokuma gleefully reading to me what I assumed was his written speech,

"Kaede Akamatsu has many, many important people in her life! Her fans, her family, her classmates. It would be a shame, of course, if anything ever happened to them! Upupu, but more than anyone else in the whole wide world, there is one person that, if anything bad were to happen to them, Kaede would fall into total and utter _despair_!"

I started sweating, who could it be? If it wasn't my friends or family, _who_ did Monokuma think was my most important person? I held my breath, waiting for my heart to be torn to pieces.

"And that person is…"

The screen suddenly flashed and I saw a picture of myself next to a pale boy about my age, he wore a black uniform, with buttons and even a little school crest on one of the top corners. We were sitting very close, almost _too_ close, our closest hands were intertwined, while the further ones extended out as a wave and a peace sign.

"...her _boyfriend_ **Shuichi Saihara: The Ultimate Detective**! So, you hear that, Kaede? If somebody isn't dead in the next two days, something _very_ tragic might befall your little boy toy! Who knows? Maybe something already _has?_ Upupupu!"

Huh?

My… boyfriend?

I didn't have a boyfriend…at least, I'm 99% sure I don't…and I don't even know anyone named 'Shuichi'...how is this a motive? What's going on?

I looked around to see if anyone else was confused at their video. What I saw was surprising, to say the least.

"What the _fuck_ , Monokuma? What kind of a bullshit motive is this?"

That came from Mondo, who seemed just as confused as I was. The bear tilted his head "Oh? You don't care about the people in your video at _all?_ "

Kaito spoke up in Mondo's defense, "It's not that at all! Of course I care that you're putting people in danger, but, you can't expect us to kill someone you just made up!"

Made up? Was this 'Shuichi Saihara' person made up? Whoever Kaito and Mondo got, surely they thought so too. But there's wasn't the only response,

"Hey, what do you mean 'made up'?" Hiro chided, "Are you sayin' that _my mother_ isn't real? I totally know who she is, man! I've seen her with my own eyes! I _live_ with her!"

Teruteru also chimed in, doughy fists clenched, "M-Mine too! I don't know who _you_ have, but my mother is certainly important to me!"

Wait…so, I got a fake boyfriend, and Kaito and Mondo likely got someone similar, but Hiro and Teruteru got their _real_ moms? What's going on?

I continued to look around, trying to decipher other people's reactions.

Celeste and Byakuya looked unbothered, but that could just be that they were hiding their true feelings, it's impossible to determine if their captives are real or not. The same with Mukuro, who was stone faced as always. Nekomaru too didn't appear as agitated as Hiro or Teruteru, but he was visibly confused, which suggested he got a fake person.

Three people that did seem visibly uncomfortable, however, were in very close proximity to one another. Kazuichi was eyeing Sonia with a glint of sorrow and horror, likely because she was reacting quite erratically to her video. She was sweating intensely and had started to quake, and the mechanic seemed growing more concerned with each shaky breath she took. Just behind her, Korekiyo's eyes had suddenly begun twitching, and he was sweating just as profusely as Sonia. I'd never seen him emoting so much, he appeared to be having some kind of panic attack.

The scariest sight, however, was when I turned to who was sitting next to me. Thankfully, Mahiru did not seem shaken up, but whatever the reason that was, it was clear she felt she needed to be strong. Because right now, Sayaka was shaking. Violently.

"Sayaka? Sayaka! Can you hear me? Sayaka!"

It was no use, the idol had completely shut down. My heart dropped when I saw her in that state. It had taken her three days to finally get to this point where it seemed her recovery was inevitable, Now, she had reverted back to where she was when Makoto had died, only this time, I feared it was worse. Whoever she saw in her video was _very_ real, and _very_ important to her.

So why wasn't mine?

Kaito came to that conclusion right around the same time I did.

"So, does this mean, not all of us got someone we know? How does that work?"

Byakuya answered curtly, "Simple. This motive is not intended to affect us the same way."

Celeste smiled in agreement, "I wonder, then, what is the purpose for that?"

Monokuma shrugged, "Who knows? All I can say is that everybody in these videos is 100% real! Whether or not you think you have a relationship with them is all up to your imaginations!"

Up to our imaginations? So then, it's just like his light trick, right? Like Pandora's Box, where we can't even see the existential horror right in front of our eyes. Well, some of us can't, but clearly, others are staring in shock at the bottom of the box…

"Mi- S-Sonia? Are you okay?"

The princess shivered, she turned to Kazuichi, she turned to Korekiyo, then she turned to Monokuma with a deadly fire in her eye,

"I _demand_ an explanation for this disgusting video, Monokuma!"

"Hm? Explanation?"

The princess was suddenly seething with rage, she spoke through her gritted teeth,

" _My people!_ What have you done to my people?"

"Upupupupu! Have I done anything? Would you like to know? Well then, the only way you can find out for certain is by _killing_ someone!"

Her fists were clenched, the bear turned to face the rest of us, "You hear that? You want to know, don't you? Are they safe? Are they real? Well, you can take my word for it, you can tell yourself whatever you want to hear, but the only way to know for _certain_ is to play by my rules! Got it?"

He roared with laughter before disappearing into the night. The fourteen of us just stood there, looking at where he had stood. So that was it, then. Pandora's Box. I turned to the person who had told us all about the legend, he was clutching himself. He looked…almost scared, like he was trying to comfort himself. I could only just barely hear him muttering unintelligibly…

Sonia's anger did not disappear entirely, but she was suddenly drawn to be more compassionate when she saw Kiyo. A look of worry spread across her face,

"Kiyo?! Are you alright?"

He didn't answer at first, it looked like the question was taking a while to process. Finally, he looked at her, breathing deeply, calming himself enough to speak,

"I-I am fine…I simply…that _video_ …"

He must have seen someone he knew. Bowing his head slightly, Kiyo shut his eyes.

"Kehehe…forgive me, princess, I need…some time alone…"

Sonia looked at him, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes, as though the idea that she couldn't help her friend physically hurt her.

"Kiyo…"

The anthropologist remained silent as he strode off the beach and off to the bridge. Kazuichi watched him, then nudged Sonia,

"Hey, it's getting late…we should probably-"

"Y-Yes…yes you are right…"

Without looking at him, the princess marched forward, her look of concern following after the shrinking silhouette of Korekiyo. After a few seconds, Kazuichi trailed behind her. Byakuya and Celeste walked off without so much as a glance at anyone.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"This is an official announcement! The time is now 10pm, which means it is officially nighttime! The kitchen will be off limits until the morning! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

* * *

Kaito turned to the rest of us, "Well, we're gonna need some help cleaning up!"

Nekomaru, Mondo, Teruteru, and Mukuro walked up to him. Hiro started walking away, but he was forcibly pulled back by the biker, who kind of shoved him into Kaito. The clairvoyant lost his balance and fell to the ground. Kaito looked over at Mahiru and me.

"You girls should help Sayaka."

I nodded. Mahiru nodded. We tried talking to Sayaka, but she was still frozen in terror, unable to budge.

"Here, I got her."

As gently as possible, Mondo came up from behind us, and picked up the idol into his arms. She didn't seem to know what was going on, I think at some point, she blacked out. But now she was nestled safely in the biker's arms.

"Thank you, Mondo."

I could barely see anyone's face, but I got a gut feeling that Mondo was deeply blushing when Mahiru thanked him.

"Tch…whatever…"

With one more look at the five who remained cleaning up, I trailed just behind Mahiru and Mondo, who walked side-by-side in silence.

When we got back to the boardwalk, Mahiru opened her door and let Mondo walk in. Taking a peek myself, I watched the biker lay the idol down on the bed. He turned with what I could _now_ see definitely _was_ a blush and told the photographer,

"Hey, uhm, I don't…I'm not gonna…she's still wearing her…you know…"

Mahiru giggled softly, "Don't worry, Mondo, I can take care of her from here. Thanks again."

"It's seriously nothing. Any man would've helped."

Mahiru pouted slightly, "You would think so…"

The biker crossed his arms, suddenly more dominant, "Well, a _real_ man wouldn't hesitate. A guy who doesn't think to help a chick out doesn't deserve to be called a _man_."

The photographer bit her lip, "I appreciate it but still…I don't think a ' _real man'_ should call women 'chicks'."

"Ngh! I didn't mean-!"

"Shh! Lower your voice, Mondo!"

The biker clenched his fist so hard I swore a vein was going to burst all over the floor. His face was reddening as he was visibly fighting against his anger. I couldn't imagine he was upset by Mahiru's comment…at least, he wasn't upset at _her_. With an exaggerated sigh, he lowered his head.

"M-My bad…"

"Geez, it's fine! I was mostly just teasing…" Mahiru looked down as well, color rising to her cheeks too, "I do wish that more boys thought like you…like _men_ …"

Jesus, I hate being a third wheel…

There was a swift, awkward goodnight as Mondo rushed out of the room. Mahiru waved at me as she closed the door. Leaving the biker and me alone in the quiet of the night. We were on separate ends of the boardwalk, but before we shuffled off in different directions, there was something I wanted to ask him…well, a couple things…

"Hey, Mondo?"

His purple eyes glistened in the moonlight, the only source by which anything could be seen on the boardwalk.

"What's up?"

"You're video…you said the person you saw wasn't anyone you knew, right?"

"Yeah. I've never seen the guy before in my life, but Monokuma had the balls to tell me he's my best goddamn friend? Not fuckin' likely, dude looks like a stick-in-the-mud!"

I nodded. "But still, do you think it's possible he could have just taken those memories? I mean, I didn't recognize my person either but…the picture…"

Mondo rubbed his head, "You too, huh? Who'd that bear tell you ya saw?"

I bit my lip, "Monokuma said he was…my _boyfriend_ …"

He whistled low, "Boyfriend? Damn, Kaede…"

Feeling my cheeks redden, "B-But that can't be true, right? How could I forget having a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, that wouldn't be easy, huh? Kinda like a best friend too. This fuckin' bear…"

We reached the same conclusion that Monokuma had to be making this up. There just wasn't anyway, I _don't_ forget about people I love…

But Hiro, Teruteru, Sonia, they all had people they knew, and we know they knew. And Sayaka and Kiyo, the way they reacted, there was no way they'd react like that to something fake…would they? These were supposed to be our loved ones, I understood that much…still…

I had another question.

"Hey, Mondo, I have one more question."

"Shoot."

"Do you _like_ Mahiru?"

His eyes went wide.

"I-I…Fuck you!"

Mondo stormed off without another word except to himself. I giggled to myself.

He totally did!

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day! Now then. Let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!"

* * *

There was a sense of looming dread in my heart that not even the most beautiful sonata could ease. It took every ounce of my willpower to force myself out of bed and towards the dining hall. I couldn't bear to face the others at a time like this.

But, I knew that I had to. For Teruteru and Hiro, Sonia and Kiyo, Sayaka…everyone!

The walk to the dining hall was drearier than normal. I didn't see anyone there, but I soon discovered it was because most people were already there. Teruteru was in the kitchen, Mukuro and Byakuya sat by themselves, Kaito with Nekomaru, Kazuichi, and Hiro. At my usual table, everyone was already sitting down, Celeste with her tea, was the only one whose demeanor and mannerisms hadn't changed. Sonia was silent and despondent, not her usual self at all. Mahiru only slightly, with a renewed concern in Sayaka, who was the most drastically changed of the four; scarily so.

"I _hate_ him…I _hate_ him…"

Overnight, Sayaka Maizono had gone from silent and defeated to agitated and spiteful. She was muttering daggers into her meal, oblivious to the others around her. It frightened me to think that in such a short amount of time one girl could feel and express so many different emotions. Still, I had a very good feeling I knew who she was talking about.

Because I hate him too.

I sat down with my food and scanned the room again, my stomach sinking when I realized two people were missing: Mondo and Kiyo.

Before I could stop myself, a plethora of the worst possibilities flooded my brain. After a few days I'd already been reprogrammed to expect the worst case scenario. Seconds turned to minutes, and still no sign of either of them, I felt a lump form in my throat. I must have been focused so intently on hoping beyond hope they would walk through those doors, that it caught the others' attention.

"Kaede? What's wrong?"

I turned to Mahiru, blinking myself out of my thoughts. "Oh, uhm, I'm just worried…Mondo and Kiyo haven't shown up yet…"

The photographer looked nervously at the door, now she was thinking about Mondo.

Celeste chimed in with her own opinions, "Mondo is always one of the last to show up. And Kiyo…well, I must admit, that one does seem rather… _suspicious_."

"H-How can you say that?!"

Sonia perked up the moment I mentioned Korekiyo, but she hadn't said anything until Celeste's implication. The gambler continued with a smile,

"Please, there is no need to get agitated, your highness, I am merely making a suggestion."

"Slanderous suggestions!"

Celestia chuckled, "Kiyo was always… _strange._ Not that I don't respect him for it, but in a game such as this, we can never be too trusting of anyone, especially when they hide their true face."

Sonia was livid, "I do not believe you need a mask to hide your true face."

She glared at Celeste, who remained visibly unshaken. But there was no way she couldn't feel somewhat scared, I was terrified looking at Sonia like this.

The tension, fortunately, was quickly relieved when the door to the dining hall swung open. Heads turned so fast they could have snapped clean off.

It was Mondo. Mahiru let a subtle sigh of relief as the biker strode up to the kitchen window for his meal. Most eyes followed him or went back to their meals, Sonia's did neither. She'd taken her eyes off Celeste in anticipation that the anthropologist would have been the one to enter. She was still glued there with those hopes. I feared for the worst. One of us was soon proven wrong.

A minute after Mondo had walked in, Korekiyo entered the dining hall. I sighed with relief that everybody was still alive. Sonia was more than relieved.

"Kiyo!"

The slender anthropologist looked startled by Sonia's exclamation, I saw most heads turn to her after it, including Kazuichi, who I noticed was considerably less energetic than the rest of his table. After a moment's hesitation, Kiyo approached Sonia, who stood to greet him.

The princess looked like she was holding back her will to hug the boy, who didn't seem to notice that in her at all. He seemed less agitated than he had last night, but I could tell something about his focus was…off.

"Princess?" He gave a slight bow as he hissed.

"P-Please, Kiyo…I have asked you before to call me Sonia…"

He didn't listen. He was staring just to the side of her face, focusing on the space in between.

"K-Kiyo? I was worried about you…are you, are you okay?"

Korekiyo blinked, "I am fine, princess, I've had…a lot on my mind…"

Sonia clutched her hands to her bosom, wringing them slightly, "If there is anything y-you would like to talk about, Kiyo, I…I would like to hear it!"

There was an awkward pause, I could see his amber eyes start to gloss over again. Then, he closed them, and turned his head down, I couldn't see it, but I felt him smile, "Kehehe, you flatter me, princess…but, I don't need you to worry about me…a miserable _creature_ like me…"

"Kiyo! You are not a 'creature'! You are my friend and I trust you! I do not care what Celeste and the others may say about you! You are a considerate, intelligent, intuitive young man and I demand you cease denigrating yourself at _once!_ "

She spoke with such force and confidence that I could suddenly see why she was called the ultimate princess. If Kiyo had been in a more responsive state of mind, he might have easily been swayed to see things that way. But, as it happened, he barely seemed to register a word she said. His eyes were caught on someone else.

"Celeste…I have an invitation to extend to you. I would like to meet with you in the library, just before nighttime. There is something I would like to _discuss_ with you…"

The gambler had been watching this interaction with great interest, and chirped back her response after half a minute of processing it, "Of course, Korekiyo! You can count on me to listen to whatever you have to say."

The way she said that made me uncomfortable…and suspicious…

Korekiyo bowed, "I shall see you then."

He turned to leave, but Sonia grabbed his hand. For the first time all morning, it seemed she had finally done something to capture his attention, when he turned to look at her, it was his eyes and his eyes alone.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Kiyo, please, I need to know that you are really okay!"

"..."

The anthropologist's eyebrows knitted together, he looked bewildered and anxious, almost like he didn't enjoy having someone else hold his hand. Finally, he snatched it back and glared at Sonia.

"..."

And that was the end of that.

Korekiyo marched over to the kitchen.

Sonia watched him with tears welling in her eyes.

Kazuichi watched her with a pensive concern.

I ate the rest of my food in the same tense silence as the rest of the room.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaito Mamota**

This was bullshit of the highest order. The teddy bear had gone _too_ far! My person may not have been real, but to threaten Hiro and Teruteru with their moms? Unacceptable! That could have been my grandparents!

In fact, it probably should have been…

Not that I was complaining, but why _wasn't_ it?

I recalled my motive video:

"And that person is…Kaito's _very good friend_ **Maki Harukawa: The Ultimate Assassin**! Although…only Kaito knows that about her, so I shouldn't have said anything!"

The picture shown of the alleged "assassin" depicted her embraced tightly in my arms. That was clearly a lie! I refuse to believe I could ever forget about my close friends! This mind trick business needs to be stopped before someone gets seriously hurt.

This was what had gone through my mind that brought me to the door I stood in front of now. If I could trust anyone to help me, it was Corporal Mukuro.

The ultimate soldier opened her door and stared neutrally at me.

"Momota?"

I smiled back.

"Afternoon, Corporal! Came by to ask what your take was on that motive video Monokuma gave us? You don't have to tell me who, but did you know the person in yours?"

She studied me for a few seconds, I assumed she wasn't in the mood to tell me anything.

"It's fine, I can tell you." she crossed her arms with a sigh that didn't seem annoyed but not very inviting either, "My person was real. It was my twin sister."

So Mukuro had a real person too…that was strange.

"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that…"

She shook her head, "Don't be, it's fine."

I cocked my head, "You're not even worried a little? I mean, I know it's sketchy, but-"

"I agree with you, Momota, I don't think it's real." She said that with a little more force than I was expecting, "I don't see the logic behind making up fake people to give half of us and real people to give the other half." She hesitated, "But…even if it _were_ real, I trust my sister. She can take care of herself."

I perked up a bit, "That's a relief to hear!"

I realized I probably didn't have anything to worry about either. Even if this girl 'Maki' is real, she seems like one tough cookie!

"So, Corporal, what should we do about Monokuma?"

Mukuro cocked an eyebrow, " _Do?_ What would we do?"

I grinned teasingly, "Hey now, I'm asking you that!"

She was silent for a moment, her eyes still in an analytical mode.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, kinda like a dad joke, ya know?"

"It wasn't very funny."

"Well duh, it's a dad joke! Those are supposed to be awful!"

"Why would you waste your breath telling a joke that isn't funny?"

"Well, it's supposed to make you laugh at how bad it was."

"That sounds like cheating."

"Cheating?"

She nodded, "Jokes are supposed to be funny. But now you're telling me they can be unfunny and still be jokes ironically? That's bending the rules." she emphasized, "That's _cheating_."

I shrugged sarcastically, "Oh, my bad, I didn't realize I was talking to the queen of comedy!"

She looked like she wanted to kill me. I felt my heart tremble.

"You see, _that_ was sarcasm. _That_ was a joke."

"But you didn't laugh? You didn't even crack a smile!"

She deadpanned, "I didn't say I _liked_ it. But I respect it as a joke."

This is not the conversation I thought I would be having…

"W-What were we talking about again?"

"You had a plan to deal with Monokuma."

I looked at Mukuro's face, I couldn't read her very well at all, but I wanted to believe I saw the tiniest glint in her eye that had the potential to grow like a seed and smile. Was she messing with me on purpose?

Shit! I'm getting distracted again!

"Right! I have a plan to deal with Monokuma! But I want to tell some of the others, so we're all gonna meet at the airport in an hour! That's seven o'clock, got it?"

"Do I have a say?"

I puffed my chest, "Of course not! This is a team effort, corporal! We need all active membership at the planning committee, stat!"

"...Are you trying to sound like a soldier?"

"Yeah! Ain't I badass?!"

She shook her head, this time sighing with annoyance. I guess I wasn't that badass.

"You almost had me, Momota."

"Almost? What do you mean?"

"What you said was so stupid, it almost made me laugh."'

I could feel the back of her hand on that compliment strike my face.

* * *

**Now entering the P.O.V of Kaede Akamatsu**

At Kaito's insistence, I met with him and his group at the airport. I was actually surprised with the low turnout. It ended up just being four of us: Kaito, me, Nekomaru, and Mukuro. According to Kaito, there were a few others he'd invited, but they had all refused for different reasons. Teruteru preferred making dessert to thinking about his mother, he had Hiro there to taste test. Mondo was helping Mahiru calm Sayaka down, it was a slow process, but they were succeeding in keeping her occupied and attended to. Kazuichi reported he wasn't feeling well, and stayed locked up in his room.

Kaito was obviously disappointed with the turnout, but did his best not to show it too much. Of course, he was such an emotion-driven man, it was impossible for him to hide it much at all. I kept sharing looks of concern with Nekomaru every time Kaito trailed off into a mumble.

"Okay, let's start by determining who has someone fake and who has someone real!"

We went around sharing the information that we knew about each other. Kaito has been shown a fake girl named Maki Harukawa, who was supposedly his close friend. Nekomaru had been shown a made up friend as well, a girl named **Akane Oowari** whom he'd never seen in his life. Just like me with Shuichi Saihara. Of the four of us Mukuro was the only one who knew her target: her twin sister, **Junko Enoshima**.

We were also able to confirm that both Teruteru and Yasuhiro had seen **their mothers** , Sonia had been shown her kingdom, but more specifically, **the Royal Family** , which was, of course her own. Connecting the dots, we were able to realize that the people who'd seen real people had seen **members of their family** , but people who'd seen fake people had seen **close and intimate friends**.

People we couldn't confirm the exact identities of who they'd seen were Sayaka, Kiyo, Mondo, and Mahiru. But judging from their reactions the previous night, it was safe to assume Sayaka and Kiyo had seen **real people** and Mondo and Mahiru had seen **fake people**.

That left Byakuya, Celeste, and Kazuichi. We didn't know if they had seen real people or fake people, it was hard to tell based on their reactions. Byakuya and Celeste could have easily seen real people and masked their feelings, or they could have seen fake people and just had no feelings. Kazuichi's reaction was shock and concern, but it was hard to gauge if that was a reaction to his personal video or to Sonia's reaction. Without him here to confirm, it was impossible to tell.

Which meant, in total, there were at least **five people** who had received fake pictures and **six people** who had received real pictures, with three unable to confirm.

All this counting had made Nekomaru incredibly restless.

"I feel like I need to release my energy in a healthy and productive way!"

Of course, he yelled that much louder and emphatically than he needed to. But our strategy meeting had come to a nice lull, Kaito nodded.

"Yeah, if we're gonna take on Monokuma with just the four of us, we're gonna need to do some more training!"

"Yeah! Let's warm up with a rousing game of volleyball!"

After what I had witnessed yesterday, I didn't like Nekomaru's idea of a 'warm up'.

I knew I couldn't talk them out of it, so I decided to make my move, "Okay, but I have to be on Nekomaru's team!"

The team manager bellowed a triumphant "Hell yeah!" before wrapping me in an uncomfortably tight embrace.

"Fine, I guess that's fair then. Corporal, you cool with that?"

Mukuro didn't seem to thrilled to be forced to play another game of volleyball, but she shrugged,

"It doesn't matter. If we have to play, I guess that's fine."

The astronaut was pumped as ever, "Great! I'll go get the net! You guys head outside to find a spot nearby we can set it up!"

The three of us did as we were told, Nekomaru getting exponentially more excited with each passing second. Shortly after we had found two trees the perfect distance for setting up a net, Kaito came outside with only the fishing net.

"Sorry guys, I couldn't find the cord to tie it up with. Are we able to use just the fishing net?"

Nekomaru seemed to think for a second, clearly confused, "But I remember putting it all together in one corner! It should be next to the catapult and the toaster!"

"Oh! I didn't see the toaster, maybe it was moved somewhere else, then!"

The two boys headed back in to try and find the cord. After a few minutes, they came back outside.

"This is ridiculous! We can't find the cord or the toaster anywhere!"

That was puzzling.

"Maybe Teruteru took the toaster?"

"Why would he take the toaster?"

I shrugged, "To make high-powered toast?"

Mukuro wasn't too impressed with my reasoning. After a while of shooting around our theories, we decided that it wasn't that important of a mystery. Nekomaru insisted we just staple the net to the trees,

"Where on this damn island are we gonna find a stapler?"

"Well, I don't know! You're the astronaut, figure it out yourself!"

"Do you know what an astronaut is?!"

The argument was cut short by the crackling sound of static over a speaker. The tv on the outside wall of the airport turned itself on, and our eyes were suddenly drawn to it, like moths to a flame.

* * *

*Ding dong bing bong*

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the **class trial** will begin!"

* * *

My heart sank and a lump formed in my throat.

A…body…?

I had hoped beyond all reason that after the horror we'd gone through with Makoto and Toko, we wouldn't need another trial. We wouldn't ever even consider another trial. But that announcement just now…

"N-No…no way!"

I clenched my fists. Nekomaru and Kaito were quaking. Mukuro remained level-headed.

"We should go find it, we don't want to miss the investigation."

As much as I didn't even want to think about investigating a crime scene, she was right. If we got this wrong, we would all face the punishment for it. Because someone had chosen to murder, we needed to make them own up to their actions and defend ourselves!

We had to fight back!

* * *

It actually didn't take that long to find the scene of the crime.

Celeste and Teruteru were sitting just outside the library, the latter pacing nervously while the former sat totally unbothered. Based on the chef's reaction alone, I was willing to bet that they had been the ones to discover the body.

The two barely acknowledged the four of us as we walked into the library cautiously. I didn't want to turn the corner and be suddenly surprised with the discovery of one of my dead friends. Like a horror movie, walking through an ancient, creepy labyrinth, tension building up around each corner, knowing that at one point, you'll run into whatever _it_ was. In this instance, however, it wasn't so complicated. All we had to do was look up.

Suspended from the rafters, was the gently swinging body of **Korekiyo Shinguji**.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Pandora Unleashed- Deadly Life.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My decision to kill Kiyo came before my decision of where to kill him. Looking back, I would have liked to keep him around a bit longer. Then again, I'm so attached to all of these characters, it's hard to overlook there potential for the sake of moving the plot along. Kiyo is a character I want to work my way back around to, so I can write him in a way that satisfies me. I feel like I haven't written him the best yet. He's a delicate character.
> 
> Also, props on Teruteru for finding the body first twice in a row now. I bet he totally did it this time, though.
> 
> Thank you for indulging me, I'll try to update more frequently.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is being taken from Fanfiction.net and will be posted regularly over here. While the work is not yet complete, if you wish to read ahead, it is available to do so. Depending on the reaction here, I intend to update every day or every other day, to maintain a regular and steady flow of content. That said, I hope you enjoyed reading this introductory prologue, please let me know what you think! Have a good rest of your day and stay safe out there.
> 
> -That1guyeveryonehates.


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